Abstract 11158: Trends in Heart Failure Hospitalizations Using Data From National Hospital Discharge Survey

Abstract

Aims: Heart failure (HF) is a common cause of hospital admission. However, relatively little data have described temporal trends in HF hospitalization. We present data on the number of HF admissions, length of stay and inpatient mortality from 1996-2010. Methods: Data were obtained from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS), a national probability sample survey of discharges conducted annually by the National Center for Health Statistics. Because of the survey design, sampling weights are applied to the raw NHDS data to produce national estimates. Hospitalizations with a primary diagnosis of HF were identified using ICD-9 codes. Weighted least squares regression was used to test for linear trends in the number of HF admissions, length of stay, and inpatient mortality. Results: The raw data contained 130,079 HF hospitalizations, translating to an estimated 16.7 million hospitalizations from 1996-2010 after application of sample weights. The total number of hospitalizations increased over time (p=0.05; see Figure); however, mean length of stay per hospitalization declined (p<0.001; see Figure). Inpatient mortality rate has also declined (p<0.001; see Figure). Conclusion: In a nationally representative sample of HF hospitalizations, mean length of stay and inpatient mortality rates have been declining over the past two decades. These trends reflect improvement in HF management over time, and have important implications in the cost of managing HF patients.