Six-month event rates among patients with heart failure and those at risk: preliminary findings from the 'a year in the life of a heart failure patient ' prospective observational study
R S Doyle, I Mcdonald, L Mccudden, M Barrett, S Mcclelland, D Mccaffrey, K McdonaldAbstract
Background/Introduction
The burden of medical events, including but not limited to heart failure (HF)-related events, is not well described in community HF patients. We are prospectively analysing event rates across different stages of the HF syndrome, including Stable HF, Worsening HF requiring recent (within 3 months) in-patient or community care and at-risk patients.
Methods
In this ongoing prospective observational study, 545 outpatients have been recruited from the heart failure ambulatory care clinic starting January 2025 and will be followed quarterly for one year to report on medical events, quality of life, medication changes and changes in laboratory values. Patients have been categorised into three groups: Stable HF (SHF, n=394), WHF meaning Worsening HF requiring recent (within 3 months) in-patient or community care (WHF; n=73) and at-risk (pre-HF; n=78). Herein we are reporting on clinical admissions during the first six months of the year of follow up divided into emergency hospital admissions (consisting of HF, Non-HF Cardiac and non-cardiac admissions), and elective admissions.
Results
In the first 6 months, there have been 130 total emergency hospital admissions and 58 total elective admissions. WHF patients had the highest HF admission rates at 22%, with only 10% non-HF cardiac, and 21% non-cardiac. Only 3% of SHF patients had a HF admission, with 4% having non-HF cardiac admissions, and 15% non-cardiac. 9% of at risk patients had emergency admissions, all of which were non-cardiac. WHF patients had few elective admissions with 4% cardiac and 7% non-cardiac admissions. Stable HF showed lower rates of elective admissions with 4% having an elective cardiac and 3% having a non-cardiac admission. At risk patients had the highest non-cardiac elective admission rates with 23% non-cardiac and 7% having cardiac admissions.
Conclusion
This ongoing project outlines the burden of emergency and total hospitalisation for patients across different phases of the HF syndrome and underlines the difficult course of patients with recent WHF with a 7-fold increased risk of HF related emergency hospitalisation and a 2.5 increased risk for non HF cardiac admissions relative to SHF. Patients with SHF have a good outlook in regard to HF admissions with only 3% experiencing a HF-related hospitalisation during this six month period.Mean Age by Gender and HF cohortFor image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text.Number of emergency hospital admissionsFor image description, please refer to the figure legend and surrounding text.