Acute heart failure signs and emergency care differ by age
Among 25,183 adults, those 85 and older had higher mortality than those 54 and younger, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 3.66.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
A retrospective cohort study included 25,183 adults attended by emergency medical services for shortness of breath with hospital-confirmed heart failure in Victoria, Australia. Average age was 80.3 years, and 51.6% were women. Emergency crews recognized heart failure more accurately in older age groups, who more often had breathing difficulties and rapid breathing. Younger patients more often had chest pain, low blood pressure and a rapid heart rate.
Older patients had higher hospital admission rates, while younger patients had higher rates of intensive care and breathing-tube placement. Patients aged 85 and older had higher inpatient, 30-day and long-term mortality than those 54 and younger. The reported adjusted hazard ratios—relative measures comparing event rates over time—were 3.66 for mortality and 0.79 for emergency medical services reattendance for shortness of breath.
Why it matters
Recognizing age-related patterns in how acute heart failure presents may enable more precise risk assessment and management before patients reach hospital.
Caveats
The retrospective observational design relied on linked emergency and hospital records and cannot establish cause and effect. This conference abstract covered adults with shortness of breath and hospital-confirmed heart failure in one Australian region; the findings may not apply to people with different initial symptoms or without hospital confirmation.
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