We investigated the prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and the factors which influence the prognosis of Japanese patients with this condition. From among the patients admitted to our hospital from January 1, 1978 to December 31, 1985, the 298 patients who were diagnosed having CHF were investigated. Patients with CHF had a rather poor prognosis, with the 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year cumulative survival rates being 76%, 60%, and 49%, respectively. The factors influencing the prognosis of patients with CHF were the type of underlying heart disease, the left ventricular ejection fraction, the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension, and the central venous pressure. Survival rates differed significantly depending on the type of underlying heart disease. The cumulative 5-year survival rate was 35% for coronary artery disease, 40% for dilated cardiomyopathy, 53% for rheumatic valvular heart disease, and 80% for hypertensive heart disease.
(Internal Medicine 31 : 304-309, 1992)