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.