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Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause for 30-day all-cause readmission in older Medicare beneficiaries and 30-day all-cause readmission is associated with a higher risk of mortality. In the current analysis, we examined if that association varied by timing of 30-day all-cause readmission. Of the 8,049 Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized for HF, 1,688 had 30-day all-cause readmissions, of whom 1,519 were alive at 30 days. Of these, 626 (41%) had early (first 10 days) 30-day readmission. Propensity scores for early 30-day readmission, estimated for all 1,519 patients, were used to assemble a matched cohort of 596 pairs of patients with early versus late (11 to 30 days) all-cause readmission balanced on 34 baseline characteristics. Two-year all-cause mortality occurred in 51% and 57% of matched patients with early versus late 30-day all-cause readmissions, respectively (hazard ratio [HR] associated with late 30-day readmission, 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.42; p = 0.014). This association was not observed in the subset of 436 patients whose 30-day all-cause readmission was due to HF (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.79 to 1.28; p = 0.963), but was observed in the subset of 756 patients whose 30-day all-cause readmission was not due to HF (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.67; p = 0.002; p for interaction, 0.057). In conclusion, in a high-risk subset of older hospitalized HF patients readmitted within 30 days, readmission during 11 to 30 (vs 1 to 10) days was associated with a higher risk of death and this association appeared to be more pronounced in those readmitted for non-HF-related reasons., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Digoxin use has been associated with a lower risk of 30-day all-cause admission and readmission in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)., Hypothesis: Digoxin use will be associated with improved outcomes in patients with HFrEF receiving β-blockers., Methods: Of the 3076 hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries with HFrEF (EF <45%), 1046 received a discharge prescription for β-blockers, of which 634 were not on digoxin. Of the 634, 204 received a new discharge prescription for digoxin. Propensity scores for digoxin use, estimated for each of the 634 patients, were used to assemble a matched cohort of 167 pairs of patients receiving and not receiving digoxin, balanced on 30 baseline characteristics. Matched patients (n = 334) had a mean age of 74 years and were 46% female and 30% African American., Results: 30-day all-cause readmission occurred in 15% and 27% of those receiving and not receiving digoxin, respectively (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.31-0.83, P = 0.007). This beneficial association persisted during 4 years of follow-up (HR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.92, P = 0.008). Digoxin use was also associated with a lower risk of the combined endpoint of all-cause readmission or all-cause mortality at 30 days (HR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34-0.86, P = 0.009) and at 4 years (HR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61-0.96, P = 0.020)., Conclusions: In hospitalized patients with HFrEF receiving β-blockers, digoxin use was associated with a lower risk of 30-day all-cause readmission but not mortality, which persisted during longer follow-up., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: A lower heart rate is associated with better outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (EF). Less is known about this association in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)., Objectives: The aims of this study were to examine associations of discharge heart rate with outcomes in hospitalized patients with HFpEF., Methods: Of the 8,873 hospitalized patients with HFpEF (EF ≥50%) in the Medicare-linked OPTIMIZE-HF (Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure) registry, 6,286 had a stable heart rate, defined as ≤20 beats/min variation between admission and discharge. Of these, 2,369 (38%) had a discharge heart rate of <70 beats/min. Propensity scores for discharge heart rate <70 beats/min, estimated for each of the 6,286 patients, were used to assemble a cohort of 2,031 pairs of patients with heart rate <70 versus ≥70 beats/min, balanced on 58 baseline characteristics., Results: The 4,062 matched patients had a mean age of 79 ± 10 years, 66% were women, and 10% were African American. During 6 years (median 2.8 years) of follow-up, all-cause mortality was 65% versus 70% for matched patients with a discharge heart rate <70 versus ≥70 beats/min, respectively (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.86; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.80 to 0.93; p < 0.001). A heart rate <70 beats/min was also associated with a lower risk for the combined endpoint of HF readmission or all-cause mortality (HR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.84 to 0.96; p = 0.002), but not with HF readmission (HR: 0.93; 95% CI: 0.85 to 1.01) or all-cause readmission (HR: 1.01; 95% CI: 0.95 to 1.08). Similar associations were observed regardless of heart rhythm or receipt of beta-blockers., Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients with HFpEF, a lower discharge heart rate was independently associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, but not readmission., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Therapy with evidence-based heart failure (HF) medications has been shown to be associated with lower risk of 30-day all-cause readmission in patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)., Methods: We examined the association of aldosterone antagonist use with 30-day all-cause readmission in this population. Of the 2443 Medicare beneficiaries with HF and left ventricular EF ≤35% discharged home from 106 Alabama hospitals during 1998-2001, 2060 were eligible for spironolactone therapy (serum creatinine ≤2.5 for men and ≤2mg/dl for women, and serum potassium <5mEq/L). After excluding 186 patients already receiving spironolactone on admission, the inception cohort consisted of 1874 patients eligible for a new discharge prescription for spironolactone, of which 329 received one. Using propensity scores for initiation of spironolactone therapy, we assembled a matched cohort of 324 pairs of patients receiving and not receiving spironolactone balanced on 34 baseline characteristics (mean age 72years, 42% women, 33% African American)., Results: Thirty-day all-cause readmission occurred in 17% and 19% of matched patients receiving and not receiving spironolactone, respectively (hazard ratio [HR], 0.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-1.32; p=0.650). Spironolactone had no association with 30-day all-cause mortality (HR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.38-1.88; p=0.678) or HF readmission (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.41 1.31; p=0.301). These associations remained unchanged during 12months of post-discharge follow-up., Conclusion: A discharge prescription for spironolactone had no association with 30-day all-cause readmission among older, hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries with HFrEF eligible for spironolactone therapy., Competing Interests: Disclosures: None, (Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

BackgroundTherapy with evidence-based heart failure (HF) medications has been shown to be associated with lower risk of 30-day all-cause readmission in patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).MethodsWe examined the association of aldosterone antagonist use with 30-day all-cause readmission in this population. Of the 2443 Medicare beneficiaries with HF and left ventricular EF ≤35% discharged home from 106 Alabama hospitals during 1998-2001, 2060 were eligible for spironolactone therapy (serum creatinine ≤2.5 for men and ≤2mg/dl for women, and serum potassium