Effect of Cocaine, Amphetamine, and Cannabis Use Disorders on 30-day Readmissions of Patients with Heart Failure

Abstract

There is limited evidence demonstrating whether cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, or other stimulants use contributes to heart failure (HF) readmissions. We used the National Readmissions Database years 2016-2018 to identify patients with HF with and without substance use disorder (SUD) (defined as a composite of cannabis, cocaine, or other stimulant use disorders). The main outcome was to assess the risk of 30-day readmissions in HF patients with and without SUD. Of 978,217 HF hospitalizations that met the inclusion criteria, 34,717 (3.5%) had concomitant SUD. HF patients with SUD had significantly higher hazard for 30-day all-cause readmissions (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.16 [1.12-1.21]; P < 0.01) compared to HF patients without SUD. In conclusion, HF patients with SUD have an elevated risk of 30-day all-cause readmissions, mainly driven by cocaine and other stimulant disorders. Screening for substance use in hospitalized HF patients as well as timely referral for treatment are important to prevent HF readmissions.