Heart Failure Readmissions: An Analysis Using the National Readmission Database 2021

BACKGROUND: Heart Failure (HF) is one of the leading causes of in-patient admission in the Unite States (US). Readmissions following HF admissions is known to have significant association with long term mortality and has a profound impact on healthcare resource utilization. Comorbid conditions as well socioeconomic factors playa crucial role in HF readmissions. METHODS: National Readmissions Database (NRD) 2021 was used for the analysis. Readmissions in the 30-, and 90-days following discharge for HF were studied. Heart Failure readmissions were studied. One way ANOVA was used to determine variance of patient factors across the readmissions group. Multivariate regression analysis was used to analyze the association with factors that held significant variance in the ANOVA. A two tailed p-value < 0.05 was used to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: We identified 5,61,371 index admissions for HF, and 22585 readmission events for HF were observed in the 30 days following discharge, and 190,994 HF readmission events in the 90 days following discharge. After the multivariate regression analysis, Atrial Fibrillation, COPD, CKD, ESRD and OSA were found to be patient factors that held significant association with 30, as well as 90-day readmissions for Heart Failure. Patients belonging in the lowest quartile of quarterly income were found to have significant association with HF readmissions (OR: 1.39 (1.37 - 1.41)).CONCLUSIONS: Atrial Fibrillation, COPD, ESRD, CKD and OSA were found to have significant association with 30, as well as 90-day readmissions for HF. Patients belonging in the lowest quartile of monthly income were also found to have significant association with readmission events.