Impact of Clostridioides difficile infection in heart failure hospitalizations: analysis from the national inpatient sample database

Abstract

Abstract Background Congestive heart failure (CHF) patients are at greater risk of nosocomial infections such as Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) due to higher comorbidities, readmission rates, and prolonged hospital stays. Further, hypovolemia and sympathetic drive may aggravate myocardial dysfunction due to demand mismatch and worsen clinical outcomes. Purpose To assess the impact of CDI in congestive heart failure (CHF) hospitalizations nationally in the US. Methods The National Inpatient Sample database from 2016 to 2019 was queried to identify patients with a primary diagnosis of CHF. Subsequently, the sample was stratified based on the presence of CDI as a secondary diagnosis. The adjusted odds ratios (aOR) of in-hospital outcomes were calculated using chi-square statistics in software STAT v.17. Results Of 1,270,414 weighted hospitalizations with CHF, 8275 were diagnosed with CDI (0.65%). On adjusted analysis, patients with CHF and CDI had significantly higher in-hospital mortality (aOR 3.58, 95% CI 3.28-4.51, p<0.001), cardiac arrest (aOR 3.89, 95% CI 2.79-5.41, p<0.001), AMI (aOR 1.37, 95% CI 1.08-, p=0.007), MCS (aOR 5.16, 95% CI 3.91-6.8, p<0.001), stroke (aOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.09-3.14, p=0.022) and MACE (aOR 2.54, 95% CI 2.21-2.91, p<0.001), (Figure 1). Additionally, HF patients with CDI are associated with longer lengths of stay (12±16 vs. 5±6 ) and adjusted total charge ($133,045±291,290 vs. $51,919±133,303) compared to HF patients without CDI (Table 1). Conclusions CDI in CHF hospitalizations have adverse in-hospital outcomes with higher rates of in-hospital mortality, AMI, stroke, and MACE. This highlights the importance of early detection and aggressive infection prevention strategies in this high-risk population.Figure 1Table 1