Abstract 14430: Sex Differences in Heart Transplantation - Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample 2012-2019

Abstract

Introduction: Advanced heart failure therapies and heart transplantation (HTx) have been underutilized in women. Therefore, we aimed to explore the clinical characteristics and outcomes of HTx by sex. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of adult discharges from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) between 2012 and 2019. International Classification of Disease (ICD) procedure codes were used to identify those who underwent HTx. Results: A total of 20,180 HTx hospitalizations were identified from 2012-2019. Among them, 28% were female. Women undergoing HTx were younger (mean age 51 vs. 54.5 years, p<0.001). HTx hospitalizations among men were more likely to have atrial fibrillation, diabetes, hypertension, renal failure, dyslipidemia, smoking, and ischemic heart disease. HTx hospitalizations among women were more likely to have hypothyroidism and valvular heart disease. HTx hospitalizations in women were associated with no significant difference in risk of in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58-1.16, p=0.271), no significant difference in length of stay or inflation-adjusted cost as shown in the Table. Men were more likely to develop acute kidney injury during HTx hospitalization (69.2% vs. 59.7%, adjusted OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.61-0.83, p<0.001). Conclusions: HTx utilization is lower in women. However, most major in-hospital outcomes for HTx are similar between the sexes. Further studies are need to explore the causes of lower rates of HTx in women.