Impact of Oral Treatment on Physical Function in Older Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Frailty is a characteristic of older patients with heart failure, who undergo functional decline during hospitalization. At present, continuous intravenous infusion of diuretics is widely used for the treatment of hospitalized patients with heart failure. In this prospective, randomized, open-label controlled trial, we tested whether an early switch from continuous intravenous infusion therapy to oral treatment with diuretics prevents functional decline in patients hospitalized for heart failure.

Methods

A total of 59 patients hospitalized for heart failure were randomized to either continuous intravenous infusion (n = 30) or oral medication (n = 29) within 48 h of admission. The primary outcome was the Barthel index, a universally utilized scale to assess the fun

SUBMITTER: Ueda K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5154528 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature