Search is Powered by Google
Heart Disease News

Physical Exams Just As Good For Assessing Heart Failure: UT Southwestern Cardiologists

Main Category: Heart Disease
Also Included In: Cardiovascular / Cardiology;  Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 18 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

email icon email to a friend   printer icon printer friendly   write icon view / write opinions   rate icon rate article
Current Article Ratings:

Patient / Public:4 stars

4 (1 votes)

Health Professional:not yet rated

Article Opinions: 0 posts

Patient history and physical examination, traditionally the cornerstone diagnostic tool for medical care, may still be among the most accurate and cost-efficient methods to assess patients with congestive heart failure, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

Such time-honored techniques have diminished in importance in recent years as doctors have come to rely on high-tech diagnostic approaches, such as imaging and measuring biomarkers.

In Circulation: Heart Failure, however, UT Southwestern and other researchers have found that the history and physical exam are still viable.

History and physical examinations were performed for 388 patients enrolled in the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE) trial, and their findings were recorded on a standardized form. About half of these patients also underwent an invasive right-heart catheterization to measure how much fluid they had in their body.

Researchers found that the estimates of the amount of fluid from the history and physical exam compared favorably to the results of the invasive measurements.

Additionally, patients who were estimated to have extra fluid through the collection of histories and physical exams were found to be at increased risk of being hospitalized or dying over the next six months.

"Our study touches upon an important clinical question: If physicians were more adept at performing histories and physicals, would they rely less on more costly diagnostic tests?" said Dr. Drazner.

"Hopefully, this study might shift the pendulum back just a bit towards using the history and physical examination in patient care. It might even get trainees more interested in learning about the history and physical examination so that this important art can be perpetuated in future generations of physicians."

----------------------------
Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
----------------------------

The ESCAPE trial was conducted at 26 sites in the U.S. and Canada. Scientists from Duke University Medical Center, Ohio State University Medical Center, Washington Hospital Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, the University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins Hospital and Cleveland Clinic Foundation also contributed to this study.

The ESCAPE trial was supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and an American Heart Association National Scientist Development Award.

Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/heartlungvascular to learn more about UT Southwestern's clinical services in heart disease.

Source: Katherine Morales
UT Southwestern Medical Center




Customized Homepage Weekly Newsletters Daily News Alerts
Home About Us News Licensing Free Website Feeds Free Tools & Content Links Tell a Friend Accessibility Help / FAQ Article Submission Contact Us
Urology
ADHD Autism Diabetes

add medical news today to your facebook

medical news gadget

Add to Google


developers
website gadget code
website news code
medical news rss feed links


customize your homepage


These are the most read articles from this news category for the last 6 months:
Top Article Star
Tune In To 'Watch Your Own Heart Attack' - British Heart Foundation Urges Nation Not To Miss Two Minute TV Event, UK
28 Jul 2008
Billboards going up across the UK today (Monday 28 July) herald a TV first as the British Heart Foundation (BHF) invites the nation to 'watch their own heart attack' through a television event that could help save lives...


Vascular Health image Vascular Health

Vascular health refers to the well-being of the heart and the blood vessels. Certain risk factors increase the likelihood that atherosclerosis, a disease of the arteries, will occur. Early detection and knowing your risk factors are keys to improving your health...

Cholesterol Management image Cholesterol Management

Each year more than a million Americans have heart attacks. High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. Lifestyle changes and adherence to a treatment plan are important for cholesterol management...

View more videos...