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Cited by 593

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 61 of the 61 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Does This Dyspneic Patient in the Emergency Department Have Congestive Heart Failure?

Wang, Charlie S.·2005·JAMA

Abstract

CONTEXT: Dyspnea is a common complaint in the emergency department where physicians must accurately make a rapid diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of history, symptoms, and signs along with routine diagnostic studies (chest radiograph, electrocardiogram, and serum B-type natriuretic peptide [BNP]) that differentiate heart failure from other causes of dyspnea in the emergency department. DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE (1966-July 2005) and the reference lists from retrieved articles, previous reviews, and physical examination textbooks. STUDY SELECTION: We retained 22 studies of various findings for diagnosing heart failure in adult patients presenting with dyspnea to the emergency department. DATA EXTRACTION: Two authors independently abstracted data (sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios [LRs]) and assessed methodological quality. DATA SYNTHESIS: Many features increased the probability of heart failure, with the best feature for each category being the presence of (1) past history of heart failure (positive LR = 5.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1-8.0); (2) the symptom of paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (positive LR = 2.6; 95% CI, 1.5-4.5); (3) the sign of the third heart sound (S(3)) gallop (positive LR = 11; 95% CI, 4.9-25.0); (4) the chest radiograph showing pulmonary venous congestion (positive LR = 12.0; 95% CI, 6.8-21.0); and (5) electrocardiogram showing atrial fibrillation (positive LR = 3.8; 95% CI, 1.7-8.8). The features that best decreased the probability of heart failure were the absence of (1) past history of heart failure (negative LR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.38-0.53); (2) the symptom of dyspnea on exertion (negative LR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.35-0.67); (3) rales (negative LR = 0.51; 95% CI, 0.37-0.70); (4) the chest radiograph showing cardiomegaly (negative LR = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.23-0.48); and (5) any electrocardiogram abnormality (negative LR = 0.64; 95% CI, 0.47-0.88). A low serum BNP proved to be the most useful test (serum B-type natriuretic peptide <100 pg/mL; negative LR = 0.11; 95% CI, 0.07-0.16). CONCLUSIONS: For dyspneic adult emergency department patients, a directed history, physical examination, chest radiograph, and electrocardiography should be performed. If the suspicion of heart failure remains, obtaining a serum BNP level may be helpful, especially for excluding heart failure.

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Metadata

Authors
Wang, C. S.
Venue
JAMA
Published
2005-10-19
Volume
294
Issue
15
Pages
1944
ISSN
  • 0002-9955 (ISSN-L)
  • 0098-7484
OpenAlex
W2166595242
Cited by
593
References
61
FWCI
21.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Does This Dyspneic Patient in the Emergency Department Have Congestive Heart Failure? https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1001/jama.294.15.1944
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Wang, C. S. (2005). Does This Dyspneic Patient in the Emergency Department Have Congestive Heart Failure? JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.294.15.1944

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