Abstract
Introduction: Controlled heart rate has been associated with better prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Radial pulse palpation is a simple and useful method to evaluate heart rate control especially in limited resources setting such as sub-Saharan Africa. However, data on heart rate control in patients with heart failure are scarce in our context. Therefore, we sought to investigate heart rate control in patients followed for chronic heart failure in Cameroon. Methodology: We conducted a cross-sectional study from January to September 2017 in three specialized cardiology centers of Cameroon. We included patients with chronic heart failure, normal sinus rhythm without recent cardiac events. Resting heart rate was measured by pulse palpation after 05 minutes of rest, three (03) times over 60 seconds. An uncontrolled heart rate was defined as HR ≥70bpm. Results: Overall, 213 patients with a mean age of 63±15 years were included. About 64.8% of patients have a heart rate above recommended targets (≥70 bpm). There was no significant association between age, gender, NYHA stage, cardiovascular risk factors or current therapies and heart rate control. Conclusion: Uncontrolled heart rate is frequent in patients with chronic heart failure in our context with more than half presenting a resting heart rate above currently recommended values.
Highlights
Controlled heart rate has been associated with better prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF)
[2] An uncontrolled heart rate is known to have a detrimental effect on the occurrence of heart failure and is a well-established risk factor in patients with chronic heart failure [3,4,5]
We aimed to identify the proportion of patients with stable chronic heart failure attending heart failure clinics with a resting heart rate of ≥70 bpm as well as to determine factors associated with poor heart rate control
Summary
Controlled heart rate has been associated with better prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). We sought to investigate heart rate control in patients followed for chronic heart failure in Cameroon. About 64.8% of patients have a heart rate above recommended targets (≥70 bpm). [1] Despite advances in medical and device therapy, the prognosis remains poor for patients with chronic heart failure (HF), with a mortality rate of 75% at 7 years of follow-up. Ba Hamadou et al.: Resting Heart Rate and Associated Factors in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure in Cameroon:. We aimed to identify the proportion of patients with stable chronic heart failure attending heart failure clinics with a resting heart rate of ≥70 bpm as well as to determine factors associated with poor heart rate control
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
