A US study reveals that discharge to a rehabilitation facility or home and certain comorbidities are significantly correlated with an increased risk of 30-day all-cause re-admission in patients with heart failure (HF).
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What Is Comorbidity?
Comorbidity is describe as two or more illnesses or
health conditions that are occurring in one person. These can occur at the same
period or it can happen one after the other. Comorbidity also means interactions
between the illnesses that can worsen both.
Conditions that are described as comorbidities are usually
chronic or long-term conditions. Other names referring to comorbid conditions
are coexisting or co-occurring conditions or multi-morbidity or multiple chronic
conditions.
Researchers said that, “Identified predictors in the
patient population with HF at our institution may be used to target patients at
increased risk of all-cause re-admission within 30 days.”
Retrospective chart review of patients aged >18
years admitted with HF and all subsequent re-admissions between 1st
October 2015 and 30th September 2017 was facilitated to determine the
impact of transitions of care (TOC) service on 30-day all-cause and HF re-admission
and to identify predictive risk factors for 30-day all-cause re-admission.
Researchers had developed a weighted logistic regression to determine these
risk factors.
Analysis by TOC service involvement showed no significant
differences in the rates of all-cause or HF re-admission. The significant risk
factors for 30-day all-cause re-admission were discharge to a rehabilitation
facility or home with home health compared with home with self-care. Furthermore,
comorbidities such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, and aortic stenosis
were significantly correlated with a higher risk of 30-day all-cause
re-admission.
Alternatively, the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme
inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor blockers, and spironolactone associated with a
lower risk of 30-day all-cause re-admission.
According to the researchers that heart failure (HF)
is a prevalent and costly disease state for adult Americans, with 30-day
re-admissions rates for patients with HF utilized to limit hospital
compensation.
Source: J Pharm Pract 2021;34:567-572