Abstract
PurposeHeart Failure (HF) is one of the leading mortality causes in elderly people. The purpose of this study is to assess readmission rates and reasons in elderly patients with HF.Design/methodology/approachThe authors explored medical records of elderly patients with HF (75 years and more) at Chapidze Emergency Cardiology Center (Georgia) from 2015 to 2019. The authors analyzed the structure of the cardiovascular diseases and readmission rates of hospitalized patients with HF (I50, I50.0 I50.1). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors, associated with readmission for any reason during 6–9 months after the initial hospitalization for HF.FindingsThe major complication of cardiovascular diseases in elderly patients is HF (68.6%). Hospitalization rates due to HF in elderly patients have increased in recent years, which is associated with the population aging process. This trend will be most likely continue. Despite significant improvements in HF treatment, readmission rates are still high. HF is the most commonly revealed cause of readmission (48% of all readmissions). About 6–9 months after the primary hospitalization due to HF, readmission for any reason was 60%. Patients had concomitant diseases, including hypertension (43%), myocardial infarction (14%), diabetes (36%) and stroke (8%), affecting the readmission rate.Originality/valueHF remains an important problem in public health. During HF-associated hospitalizations, both cardiac and non-cardiac conditions should be addressed, which has the potential for health problems and disease progression. Some readmissions may be prevented by the proper selection of medicines and monitoring.
Highlights
Heart failure (HF) is a large and increasing problem worldwide, causing high morbidity and mortality and requiring expensive treatment
Some readmissions may be prevented by the proper selection of medicines and monitoring
Our study proves that the number of hospitalizations for HF increased in the elderly population, which is related to the population aging process
Summary
Heart failure (HF) is a large and increasing problem worldwide, causing high morbidity and mortality and requiring expensive treatment. Around 17.0 million people died from cardiovascular diseases in 2016, accounting for 31.4% of mortality [1]. 66,670 patients have HF in Georgia (150 per 100,000 population), annually more than 7,330 people are initially diagnosed with it and the mortality rate is 1% [2]. The studies report that HF incidence and mortality risk from initial hospitalization is higher in males than in females [3]. The outcomes for patients with HF are unfavorable. Half the patients die within four years, and in the case of a severe form of HF, 50% of patients die within the first year
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