Volume 29, Issue 158, April 2025

Features of the diagnostic tools utilized by emergency physician to identify acute heart failure; systematic review

Mazi Mohammed Alanazi¹, Ahmad Khalid Alsaif², Mohammed Mubarak Alswoaiegh³

¹Saudi Board Emergency Medicine, Head of Emergency Research Unit, Emergency Department, First Health Cluster, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
²Saudi Board Emergency Medicine Resident, Emergency Department, Second Health Cluster, Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
³Saudi Board Emergency Medicine Resident, Emergency Department, First Health Cluster, King Saud Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Background: AHF is one of the most frequent diagnosis in ED hospitalized patients. AHF diagnosis in ED patients is difficult, and the condition's show high frequency in the emergency room. This study's aim to systematically review the operational characteristics of the diagnostic tools used by emergency physicians diagnose AHF. Method: We conducted a systematic review of studies that examined the characteristics of the tests utilized by emergency physicians to diagnose AHF in patients who present with dyspnea in the ED. The systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) standards. PubMed, Scopus, and EMBASE were used to search the medical literature between January 2016 and October 2024. Result and conclusion: Five publications were included in this systematic review. ADHF is better diagnosed using natriuretic peptides. Low-cost methods for identifying ADHF include BIA and IVCu, particularly in older patients with renal failure. BNP testing can accurately diagnose heart failure, but it has no discernible effect in diagnosing patients with dyspnea. The creation of BNP nomograms that are modified for HF history, age, gender, and ethnicity may increase the usefulness of BNP in the emergency department. AHFS-related acute dyspnea and pulmonary-related acute dyspnea may be distinguished with more accuracy with LCI integrated ultrasonography than with other techniques. Although LCI integrated ultrasonography is helpful for quickly evaluating acute dyspnea in the emergency department, more study is needed to determine how it affects diagnosis and decision-making.

Keywords: Emergency physician, acute heart failure, diagnosis

Medical Science, 2025, 29, e55ms3552

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi.v29i158.e55ms3552

Published: 07 April 2025