For the study, researchers examined health data on patients with heart failure derived from a 2013 study sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Among 301,892 patients hospitalized during the study year for heart failure, 55,857 patients experienced a 30-day readmission. In total, this patient group experienced 64,264 readmissions in the study year. Approximately 50 percent of the readmissions were linked to cardiac issues with heart failure being the most common cause followed by coronary artery disease and arrhythmias. Pulmonary causes were attributable to 13 percent of readmissions and renal causes were linked to 9 percent of readmissions. Diabetes and lengthy hospital stays were among the identified predictive factors for readmission.
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“In conclusion, readmission after a hospitalization for heart failure is common,” concluded the study’s authors. “Although it may be necessary to readmit some patients, the striking rate of readmission demands efforts to further clarify the determinants of readmission and develop strategies in terms of quality of care and care transitions to prevent this adverse outcome.”
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