European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: Cardiovascular disease is the most commonly diagnosed medical condition among patients aged 65 years and above and is a major global problem with an estimated worldwide prevalence of 38 million. The high morbidity and mortality rate associated with heart failure (HF) make it a challenging public concern with significant financial burden on healthcare. Patients with HF frequently present with multiple electrolyte abnormalities, hyponatremia, hypokalemia, and hypochloremia being the most common.  Aims: To assess the effect of admission serum chloride levels on the duration of hospital stay in decompensated heart failure patients and their correlation with serum sodium levels. Materials and Methods: The present study was a prospective observational single center carried out at tertiary care center in Ahmedabad, India. Patient’s demographic, clinical and laboratory data was collected from June 2020 till May 2021.  Result: In the present study, 60 patients were included. It was observed that serum chloride level was less than 96 mEq/L in 40%, 96 to 101 mEq/L in 35% and more than 101 mEq/L in 25% Conclusion: Our findings highlight the clinical significance of chloride, a routinely measured electrolyte. Given the critical role of chloride in a number of regulatory pathways central to heart failure, it is possible that serum chloride may represent a therapeutic target rather than simply a marker of disease severity