Prevalence of nursing diagnosis of decreased cardiac output and the predictive value of defining characteristics in patients under evaluation for heart transplant.

The purposes of the study were to identify the prevalence of defining characteristics (DC) of decreased cardiac output (DCO) in patients with cardiac insufficiency under evaluation for heart transplantation, and to ascertain the likelihood of defining characteristics being predictive factors for the existence of reduction in cardiac output. Data was obtained by retrospective documental analysis of the clinical records of right-sided heart catheterizations in 38 patients between 2004 and 2009. The results showed that 71.1% of the patients had decreased cardiac output (measured by cardiac index). The majority of the NANDA-International defining characteristics for DCO were more frequent in individuals with reduced cardiac index levels. The study emphasizes the odds ratio (OR) for increased Systemic Vascular Resistance of OR=4.533, of the third heart sound with OR=3.429 and the reduced ejection fraction with OR=2.850. By obtaining the predictive values for the defining characteristics the study identifies them as diagnostic indicators of decreased cardiac output.