2.6 | Outcome measurements
The primary outcome was the days from admission to clinical stability, which was defined by a decrease of 2 points of clinical congestion score (CCS) and the cessation of all intravenous pharmacotherapy (e.g. diuretics, inotropes or vasodilators) 17-19. CCS is an instrument composed of 7 questions, which are designed to assess the congestion degrees in HF patients 20. The score ranges from 1 to 22 points, and the higher scores imply the worse congestion degrees. Clinical stability was independently judged by investigator No.3 and cardiologist Dr.1 every day. If the judgment was not inconsistent, it should be determined by cardiologist Dr. 2. The group allocation was blinded to all judgers.
The other end points included the electrolyte disturbances, N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels. The most common electrolyte disturbances are high or low levels of serum sodium and potassium 21,22. In this study, they were defined as: hyponatremia (serum sodium level < 135.00 mmol/l), hypernatremia (serum sodium level > 145.00 mmol/l), hypokalemia (serum potassium level < 3.50 mmol/l), and hyperkalemia (serum potassium level > 5.00 mmol/l)23. In addition, body weight was recorded after 24 hours since ceasing intravenous pharmacotherapy. Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) was tested before leaving hospital. All above were in the charge of researcher No. 3.