Congestive Heart Failure Patients’ Pulse Rate Progression and Time to Death at Debre Tabor Referral Hospital, Ethiopia

Background. Heart failure is a progressive condition marked by worsening symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, exhaustion and lethargy, fluid retention with swelling of the legs and abdomen, and a reduced ability to exercise. As a result, this study aims to use a joint model application to determine the joint risk factors of longitudinal change in pulse rate and time to death of congestive heart failure patients and their association admitted to a hospital. Methods. A retrospective study was undertaken on congestive heart failure patients admitted to the Debre Tabor Referral Hospital from January 2016 to December 2019. A statistical joint modeling strategy was employed to match the repeated biomarker pulse rate and a survival outcome at the same time. A total of 271 patients with congestive heart failure were chosen. Data were analyzed with R statistical software via joineRML. Results. According to the findings, the association between longitudinal changes in pulse rate and time to death in heart failure patients is statistically significant. Sex, residence, left ventricular injection fraction, New York Heart Association class, and diabetes mellitus were all found to be significant risk factors for congestive heart failure patients’ short survival time to death. Age, sex, residence, hypertension, left ventricular injection fraction, congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, and etiology were all significant contributors in pulse rate progression. Conclusion. The computed association parameters revealed subject-specific values. The subject-specific linear time slope of PR measurement was positively related to the hazard rate of time to death of CHF patients in the study area. To reduce the risk level of CHF, health professionals, governmental organizations, and nongovernmental organizations must promote and allocate a suitable amount of budget for the treatment of CHF patients.