High 30-day readmission rates in hospitalized patients with heart failure: Strengthening the need for a multidisciplinary and integrated approach

Abstract

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a common disease which is one of the most common causes of hospitalization. Although mortality rates are decreasing, readmission rates are still quite high.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the risk factors for readmission and death in patients who were hospitalized due to HF.

Design and Setting: Retrospective study, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey

Methods: Patients hospitalized between 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2018 with the primary diagnosis of HF were included. Outcome variables were risk factors for 30-day all- caused readmission, 30-day HF related readmission, mortality.

Results: All-cause 30-day readmission rate was 34.8% and HF-related 30-day readmission rate was 21.2%. The factors associated with increased all-caused 30-day readmission were male gender, hyperlipidemia, chronic liver disease, malignancy. The factors associated with increased HF-related 30-day readmission were hyperlipidemia, chronic liver disease, inflammatory rheumatologic diseases, malignancy. Use of ACE-i was found to be protective against all-cause and HF-related 30-day readmission. Factors associated with mortality were ejection fraction <30%, chronic liver disease, acute kidney injury, hypoalbuminemia at the time of admission.

Conclusions: Nearly one third of patients in this cohort who were hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of HF were readmitted in the following 30 days. Having certain chronic diseases and conditions were associated with an increased risk for readmission and mortality. These findings point out to the special needs of HF patients, who require a proactive, integrated and multidisciplinary management strategy to control the risk factors and to improve the inpatient and transitional stages in the hospital.