Coding and identification of heart failure
Bressan, M.; Visentin, E.; Baratella, C.; Stritoni, P.; Alberti, V.; Dalla Volta, S.
Cardiologia 38(11): 737-741
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0393-1978 PMID: 8004647 Document Number: 419489
The prevalence of the diagnosis of heart failure (HF) presents large differences, comparing the data of hospital discharge obtained from USA and Italy through te code 428 of ninth revision of International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9). As possibly the difference is related to classification, we reviewed homogeneous diagnosis in Padua General Hospital as a whole and the diagnosis at discharge in the department of Cardiology of the same hospital. Hospital HF discharge rate is on average 0.43% (0.37-0.51); while from department of Cardiology is on average 0.7% (0.15-0.85). Medical records of a group of patients (the first hundred of 1992) are analysed and recorded using the Boston criteria for scoring the certainty of HF diagnosis. The group with unlikely HF (68%) does'nt codes 428; there is 2 code 428 in group with possible (16%) and 2 in group with definite (16%) diagnosis of HF. The physician probably prefers sometimes an anatomical rather than a functional classification and therefore he underscores the impairment of left ventricular systolic function. A better code-use is needed before comparing prevalence rate from different centres.