IJCS | Volume 32, Nº6, November / December 2019

599 Figure 3 - Sex ratio (males per 100 women) of patients admitted due to heart failure in the period from 2007 to 2016 in Brazil, RS and Porto Alegre. Source: Elaborated by the author based on data obtained from DATASUS (2017). Figure 4 - Average length of hospital stay of HF patients in the period from 2007 to 2016 in Brazil, RS and Porto Alegre. Source: Elaborated by the author based on data obtained from DATASUS (2017). Nicolao et al. Heart failure: morbidity and mortality Int J Cardiovasc Sci. 2019;32(6):596-604 Original Article In relation to hospitalization costs, the average value per hospitalization was initially R$ 739.39, in 2007, reaching R$ 1,559.08 in 2016 in Brazil, with a percentage change increase of 97%. The corresponding values for Porto Alegre are higher in relation to the values found in the other regions, in which the initial value was R$ 1,047.74, in 2007, increasing to R$ 2,464.47, in 2016, with a percentage change increase of 135% (Figure 5).