Clinical Evaluation of Geriatric Outpatients with Suspected Heart Failure: Value of Symptoms, Signs, and Additional Tests

Abstract

Half of geriatric patients suspected of HF actually have HF. Apart from age, gender, and nocturnal dyspnoea, absence of wheezing, loss of appetite, and lower BMI were independently associated with the presence of HF. Symptoms and signs in combination with NT-proBNP reliably identified the presence or absence of HF in the vast majority of patients. Additional diagnostic tests, in particular echocardiography, can be targeted at those in whom the presence of HF remains uncertain and to ascertain the cause of HF.