Abstract

Abstract Introduction Therapeutic appropriateness in chronic diseases is a key factor in obtaining better clinical outcomes over clinical follow-up, in particular in elderly patients. Data about therapeutic appropriateness in elderly patients with heart failure (HF) are scarce. Purpose To describe the prevalence of appropriate treatment in elderly HF patients and its impact on clinical outcomes. Methods REgistro POliterapie SIMI (REPOSI) cohort was used to assess study aims. REPOSI is an Italian Nationwide Registry of elderly (≥65 years) hospitalized patients in Internal Medicine and Geriatric wards. HF diagnosis was assessed at hospital admission according to ICD-9 code 428.XX. Therapeutic appropriateness was defined according to International Guidelines. Results Among the 7003 patients originally enrolled, a total of 1095 (15.6%) patients reported a diagnosis of HF at hospital admission. At admission, 230 (21.0%) patients were considered as treated appropriately, with 245 (22.4%) treated appropriately during hospitalization and 249 (22.7%) at discharge (p=0.0.248). Focusing on patients aged ≥80 years, prevalence of appropriate treatment was respectively: 18.9% at admission, 20.3% during hospitalization and 21.0% at discharge (p=0.266). Among the 1095 patients with HF, 815 (74.4%) had available follow-up data. Patients appropriately treated at discharge, compared to those not treated appropriately, had a lower rate of CV death (5.1% vs. 11.9%, p=0.006) and all-cause death (7.2% vs. 26.1%, p<0.001) during follow-up, with no difference in rates of rehospitalization and CV rehospitalization. A logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, risk factors, comorbidities and polypharmacy, showed that appropriate therapy at discharge was inversely associated with the risk of CV death and all-cause death (Table). In patients ≥80 years, appropriate HF treatment was inversely associated with risk of all-cause death (Table). Logistic Regression Analysis All Patients ≥80 years OR (95% CI) OR (95% CI) CV Death 0.46 (0.23–0.94) 0.59 (0.26–1.36) All-Cause Death 0.26 (0.14–0.46) 0.27 (0.14–0.53) CI = Confidence Interval; CV = Cardiovascular; OR = Odds Ratio. Conclusions In elderly hospitalized HF patients, prevalence of therapeutic appropriateness was consistently low at admission, during hospitalization and at discharge, particularly in patients ≥80 years. Appropriate HF therapy was inversely associated with the risk of CV death and all-cause death in all patients and with the risk of all-cause death in patients ≥80 years. Acknowledgement/Funding None

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