Heart Failure Patients Given ACE Inhibitor or ARB for Left Ventricular Systolic Dysfunction (LVSD)

What Does This Measure?

The percentage of eligible heart failure patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) who received an ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor or ARB (angiotensin receptor blocker) on discharge.

Why Is This Important?

ACE inhibitors and ARBs are medicines that block a hormone in the body that causes blood vessels to narrow. They help lower blood pressure and reduce the heart’s workload.

Prescribing ACE inhibitors and ARBs to patients with heart failure symptoms or reduced heart function due to a heart attack significantly reduces the risk of death.

What Are We Doing to Improve Our Performance?

Duke has enacted several initiatives to improve our performance. These include:

• Evidence-based medicine
• Computerized physician order entry (CPOE)
• Standardized order sets
• Patient rounding
• Electronic medical records (EMR)
• Six Sigma and DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control process) methodologies
• Nursing and physician education
• Heart failure-specific discharge instructions and patient education information
• Patient safety and clinical quality committees
• Patient advocacy and support groups
  
• HealthView patient portal

More Information

• See more heart failure quality measures
• See all performance measures
• Compare Duke to other North Carolina hospitals at NC Hospital Quality Report
• Compare Duke to regional and national hospitals at Hospital Quality Alliance's Hospital Compare