Validation of the Acute Heart Failure Index

Disparity of care in the acute care of patients with heart failure

OBJECTIVES

It has been well documented that screening, prevention, and treatment disparities in cardiovascular care exist. Most studies have focused on the outpatient setting. The purpose of the present analysis was to assess if a disparity of care exists in the care of emergency department (ED) patients with acute heart failure in a secondary analysis of the Heart Failure and Audicor Technology for Rapid Diagnosis and Initial Treatment (HEARD-IT) multinational study.

METHODS

Only patients with an adjudicated diagnosis of acute heart failure were included in this analysis. Racial groups included in this analysis were limited to white and African American or black patients, due to their predominance in the cohort. Logistic regression including clinically relevant demographics, past medical history, exam, diagnostic tests, and adjudicated diagnosis of acute heart failure as covariates was performed to assess the association of race with treatment with a diuretic or nitroglycerin and 30-day death or readmission.

RESULTS

Of the cohort, 418 of 1,076 (38.8%) were included in the analysis. Median age was 69 years (interquartile range [IQR]=55-79 years), 49% were white, and 51% were African American or black. There was no difference in the correct admitting diagnosis in the two groups (p=0.83). Multivariate adjustment revealed that African American or black race was not associated with treatment with diuretics (adjusted odds ratio [OR]=1.00, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.55 to 1.82) or nitrates (adjusted OR=1.27, 95% CI=0.76 to 2.13) in the ED. In a separate regression analysis there was no association with African American or black race with 30-day adverse events (adjusted OR=1.22, 95% CI=0.68 to 2.16).

CONCLUSIONS

This secondary analysis of HEARD-IT data did not identify racial disparities in the treatment of adults with acute heart failure in the ED.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute working group on emergency department management of acute heart failure: research challenges and opportunities

This paper details the substance and recommendations arising from a meeting convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in August 2009, to assess the challenges and opportunities of emergency department management of acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS). The assembled faculty represented a large cross section of medical professionals spanning the medical management continuum of patients presenting with acute heart failure and included heart failure cardiologists, emergency physicians, laboratory medicine specialists, nurses, and bench scientists. Their recommendations include proposals regarding the design and conduct of emergency department-based clinical trials, suggestions regarding the development of improved methods for early detection and monitoring of AHFS, and potential needs for expanding translational and applied AHFS focused research and biotechnology. We anticipate that this review will serve as a starting point for future investigations across the spectrum of funding sources.

Low-risk acute heart failure patients: external validation of the Society of Chest Pain Center's recommendations

INTRODUCTION

Risk-stratification in acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) is problematic. A recent set of recommendations describes emergency department (ED) patients with AHFS who do not fulfill high-risk criteria and may be good candidates for observation unit (OU) management. The goal of this analysis was to report on the outcomes experienced by ED patients with AHFS who do not have any of these high-risk criteria.

METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of the HEart failure and Audicor technology for Rapid Diagnosis and Initial Treatment (HEARD-IT) multinational study. HEARD-IT was a multicenter study designed to test the impact of acoustic cardiography on ED decision making in patients with possible AHFS. For the purposes of the current analysis we identified a subset of HEARD-IT patients who did not fulfill any high-risk criteria based on published data. The proportion of these patients who experienced an adverse outcome was determined.

RESULTS

The 201 subjects who fulfilled the inclusion criteria had a mean age of 64 years (SD: 13), 61% were male, 34% were Caucasian, and 55% were black. There were a total of 25 (12.4%) cardiac events, including 1 death due to AHFS. The majority of the cardiac events were 30-day readmissions related to AHFS (16/25, 64.0%).

CONCLUSION

AHFS patients at low-risk for subsequent morbidity and mortality based on recent consensus guidelines may be good candidates for early discharge after a brief period of observation in the OU or ED. Additional prospective research is needed to determine the impact of implementation of these criteria in ED patients with AHFS.

Factors associated with neurologically intact survival for patients with acute heart failure and in-hospital cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND

Hospitalized patients with heart failure are at risk for cardiac arrest. The ability to predict who may survive such an event with or without neurological deficit would enhance the information on which patients and providers establish resuscitative preferences.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We identified 13 063 adult patients with acute heart failure who had cardiac arrest at 457 hospitals participating in the National Registry of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2007. Neurological status was determined on admission and discharge by cerebral performance category with neurologically intact survival (NIS)=cerebral performance category 1 (no) or 2 (moderate dysfunction) and non-NIS=cerebral performance category 3 (severe dysfunction), 4 (coma), or 5 (brain death). Factors available prearrest (demographics, preexisting conditions, and interventions in-place) were assessed for association with NIS using multivariable logistic regression, initially without then with adjustment for arrest-related variables and hospital characteristics. NIS occurred in 2307 patients (17.7%) and was associated by adjusted odds ratio with 18 prearrest factors; 4 positively and 14 negatively. The association (odds ratio; 95% CI) was strongest for 4 specific variables: acute stroke (0.38; 0.25 to 0.58), history of malignancy (0.49; 0.39 to 0.63), vasopressor use (0.50; 0.43 to 0.59), and assisted or mechanical ventilation (0.53; 0.45 to 0.61).

CONCLUSIONS

A number of prearrest factors seem to be associated with NIS, the majority inversely. Consideration of these before cardiac arrest could enhance the resuscitative decision-making process for patients with acute heart failure.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of ED decision making in patients with non-high-risk heart failure

BACKGROUND

The ED disposition of patients with non-high-risk acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is challenging. To help address this problem, we investigated the cost-effectiveness of different ED disposition strategies.

METHODS

We constructed a decision analytic model evaluating the cost-effectiveness of 3 possible ED ADHF disposition strategies in a 60-year-old man: (1) discharge home from the ED; (2) observation unit (OU) admission; (3) inpatient admission. Base case patients had no high-risk features. We used Medicare costs and the national physician fee schedule to capture ED, OU, and hospital costs, including costs of complications and death. All analyses were conducted using Decision Maker software (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ).

RESULTS

Compared to ED discharge, OU admission had a reasonable marginal cost-effectiveness ratio ($44 249/quality adjusted life year), whereas hospital admission had an unacceptably high marginal cost-effectiveness ratio ($684 101/quality adjusted life year). Sensitivity analyses demonstrated that as the risk of early (within 5 days) and late (within 30 days) readmission exceeded 36% and 74%, respectively, in those discharged from the ED, OU admission became less costly and more effective than ED discharge. Similarly, an increase in relative risk of both early and late death in those discharged from the ED improves the marginal cost-effectiveness ratio of OU admission. Finally, as postdischarge event rates increase in those discharged from the OU, hospital admission became more cost-effective.

CONCLUSION

Observation unit admission for patients with non-high-risk ADHF has a societally acceptable marginal cost-effectiveness ratio compared to ED discharge. However, as ED and OU discharge event rates increase, hospital admission becomes the more cost-effective strategy.

Differences in initial severity of illness between black and white emergency department patients hospitalized with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Black patients hospitalized for heart failure have better reported short-term survival than white patients for unknown reasons. We sought to determine if initial severity of illness differed between black and white emergency department (ED) patients hospitalized for heart failure.

METHODS

We analyzed 1,408 black and 7,260 white randomly selected patients in one state hospitalized from an ED during 2003 and 2004 and with a discharge diagnosis of heart failure. We used three validated clinical prediction rules to estimate severity of illness on admission.

RESULTS

Black patients were younger than white patients (65.8 +/- 14.8 vs 77.4 +/- 11.5 years, P < .01) and were assigned to lower risk classes by all 3 prediction rules more frequently than white patients (P < .01). The odds ratio (95% CI) for classification of black versus white patients into the lowest risk class within the three rules ranged from 1.16 (1.00-1.33) to 4.30 (3.75-4.94). After adjusting for hospital clustering, the odds ratio (95% CI) for black versus white patient hospital death and complications was 0.75 (0.60-0.95) and, for 30-day death, was 0.34 (0.27-0.48).

CONCLUSIONS

Black ED patients hospitalized with heart failure are younger, less severely ill on admission and less likely to experience short-term fatal and nonfatal outcomes than white patients. Our findings suggest a varying opportunity between black and white patients when considering alternative initial treatment strategies and sites of care.