| Table 29: Is my patient ready for discharge from hospital? | ||
|---|---|---|
| Symptoms and disease | Stability | Transition |
| Inter-current cardiac illness adequately diagnosed and treated | Returned to “dry” weight and stable for > 24 hours | Communication to primary care provider and/or specialist physician and/or multi-disciplinary disease management program |
| Presenting symptoms resolved | Vital signs resolved and stable for > 24 hrs, especially blood pressure & heart rate | Clear discharge plan for labs, follow-up and other testing |
| Chronic oral HF therapy initiated, titrated and optimized (or plan for same) | Greater than 30% decrease in natriuretic peptide level from time of admission and relatively free from congestion | Education initiated, understood by patient, continued education planned |
HF, heart failure.