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Ezekowitz JA, Podder M, Hernandez AF, Armstrong PW, Starling RC, O'Connor CM, Califf RM. Arrival by ambulance in acute heart failure: insights into the mode of presentation from Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF). BMJ Open 2016; 6:e010201. [PMID: 26988350 PMCID: PMC4800112 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Limited data exist assessing the relationship between ambulance versus self-presentation and outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). SETTING Clinical trial sites in North America. PARTICIPANTS 1068 patients enrolled in the Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES The association between ambulance use and dyspnoea improvement, 30-day mortality or HF rehospitalisation and 180-day mortality. RESULTS Of the 1068 patients in the substudy, 832 (78%) self-presented (SP) and 236 (22%) patients presented via ambulance. Patients presenting via ambulance were older, more likely to be female, have a higher ejection fraction but similar natriuretic peptide levels as patients who SP. Patients presenting by ambulance (compared with SP) trended towards more dyspnoea improvement at 6 (p=0.09) and 24 h (p=0.10). The co-primary end point (30-day mortality or HF rehospitalisation) was similar between groups (ambulance 12.2% vs SP 11.4%, p=0.74). Patients who presented by ambulance had a higher 30-day and 180-day mortality rate than those who SP (30-day: 4.3% vs 2.2%, p=0.08; 180-day: 15.1% vs 10.3%, p=0.04). After adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients arriving by ambulance (compared with SP) had a 2-fold high risk of 30-day mortality (OR 2.12, 95% CI 0.94 to 4.79), but no relationship to the composite of 30-day mortality/HF rehospitalisation (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.63 to 1.63). CONCLUSIONS Among patients with AHF, 30-day and 180-day mortality is 1.5-2 times higher for those with presenting via ambulance compared with patients who self-present. Understanding patient-related and system-related factors of ambulance use for patients with AHF is important. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER NCT00475852.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Ezekowitz
- Division of Cardiology, University of Alberta and Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mohua Podder
- Division of Cardiology, University of Alberta and Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Paul W Armstrong
- Division of Cardiology, University of Alberta and Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Randall C Starling
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | | | - Robert M Califf
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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van Diepen S, Podder M, Hernandez AF, Westerhout CM, Armstong PW, McMurray JJV, Eapen ZJ, Califf RM, Starling RC, O'Connor CM, Ezekowitz JA. Acute decompensated heart failure patients admitted to critical care units: insights from ASCEND-HF. Int J Cardiol 2014; 177:840-6. [PMID: 25465830 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2014.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about global patterns of critical care unit (CCU) care and the relationship with outcomes in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Whether a ward or a CCU admission is associated with better outcomes is unclear. METHODS Patients in the Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial were initially hospitalized in a ward or CCU (coronary or intensive care unit). Sites were geographically classified: Asia-Pacific (AP), Central Europe (CE), Latin America (LA), North America (NA), and Western-Europe (WE). The primary outcome of 30-day all-cause mortality or all-cause hospital readmission was adjusted using a two-stage multivariable logistic regression model with a generalized estimated equation that took sites within each country as a nested random factor. RESULTS Overall, 1944 (38.2%) patients were admitted to a CCU and 3150 (61.8%) to a ward, and this varied by region: 50.6% AP, 63.3% CE, 60.7% WE, 22.1% LA, and 28.6% NA. The 30-day death or readmission rate was 15.2% in ward patients and 17.0% in CCU patients (risk-adjusted Odds Ratio [OR] 1.44: 95% CI, 1.14-1.82). Compared with CCU patients in NA (24.1% 30-day event rate), the primary outcomes were: AP (10.4%, Odds Ratio [OR] 0.63; 95% confidence Interval [CI], 0.35 to 1.15), CE (10.4%, OR 0.56: 95% CI, 0.31 to 1.02), LA (22.4%, OR 0.60: 95% CI, 0.11 to 3.32), and WE (11.2%, OR 0.63, 95% CI, 0.25 to 1.56). No regional differences in 30-day mortality were observed; however, 30-day readmission rates were highest in NA sites. CONCLUSIONS Management of patients with ADHF varies significantly, and after adjustment, CCU care was associated with higher risk of early mortality, not explained by international differences. These findings may help to improve the early decisions regarding risk stratification of patients hospitalized with ADHF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean van Diepen
- Divisions of Critical Care and Cardiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Canadian Vigour Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
| | - Mohua Podder
- Canadian Vigour Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Adrian F Hernandez
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Paul W Armstong
- Canadian Vigour Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Division of Cardiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - John J V McMurray
- Western Infirmary, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Zubin J Eapen
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Robert M Califf
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | | | - Justin A Ezekowitz
- Canadian Vigour Center, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Division of Cardiology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Reed SD, Kaul P, Li Y, Eapen ZJ, Davidson-Ray L, Schulman KA, Massie BM, Armstrong PW, Starling RC, O'Connor CM, Hernandez AF, Califf RM. Medical resource use, costs, and quality of life in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: findings from ASCEND-HF. J Card Fail 2014; 19:611-20. [PMID: 24054337 DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2013.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Revised: 07/09/2013] [Accepted: 07/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) randomly assigned 7,141 participants to nesiritide or placebo. Dyspnea improvement was more often reported in the nesiritide group, but there were no differences in 30-day all-cause mortality or heart failure readmission rates. We compared medical resource use, costs, and health utilities between the treatment groups. METHODS AND RESULTS There were no significant differences in inpatient days, procedures, and emergency department visits reported for the first 30 days or for readmissions to day 180. EQ-5D health utilities and visual analog scale ratings were similar at 24 hours, discharge, and 30 days. Billing data and regression models were used to generate inpatient costs. Mean length of stay from randomization to discharge was 8.5 days in the nesiritide group and 8.6 days in the placebo group (P = .33). Cumulative mean costs at 30 days were $16,922 (SD $16,191) for nesiritide and $16,063 (SD $15,572) for placebo (P = .03). At 180 days, cumulative costs were $25,590 (SD $30,344) for nesiritide and $25,339 (SD $29,613) for placebo (P = .58). CONCLUSIONS The addition of nesiritide contributed to higher short-term costs and did not significantly influence medical resource use or health utilities compared with standard care alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby D Reed
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina.
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Toma M, Ezekowitz JA, Bakal JA, O'Connor CM, Hernandez AF, Sardar MR, Zolty R, Massie BM, Swedberg K, Armstrong PW, Starling RC. The relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction and mortality in patients with acute heart failure: insights from the ASCEND-HF Trial. Eur J Heart Fail 2013; 16:334-41. [PMID: 24464687 DOI: 10.1002/ejhf.19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2013] [Revised: 09/09/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
AIM Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality but the relationship between LVEF and outcomes is unclear. We explored the association between LVEF and 30 and 180 day mortality in 7007 ADHF patients enrolled in the Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial. METHODS AND RESULTS We explored the association between LVEF and 30 and 180 day mortality in 7007 ADHF patients enrolled in the Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial. LVEF was analysed both as a continuous variable and according to three categories: < 40% (LowEF), 40-50% [intermediate EF (IntEF)], and > 50% [preserved ejection fraction (PresEF)]. Of the patients in the trial, 4474 (78.7%) had LowEF, 674 (11.9%) had IntEF, and 539 (9.5%) had PresEF. The unadjusted 30 and 180 day mortality was similar for LowEF (3.7%, 12.3%), IntEF (3.4%, 13.1%), and PresEF (4.3%, 14.1%), respectively (P > 0.05). After multivariable adjustment, the hazard ratio (HR) for 180 day mortality remained similar for the LowEF [HR 0.96, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75-1.24; P = 0.77] and IntEF (0.91, 95% CI 0.66-1.3; P = 0.58) compared to PresEF patients. By contrast, when LVEF was evaluated as a continuous measure, it exhibited a U-shaped pattern with mortality. After matching for age and sex, the mortality risk attributed to LVEF was attenuated, as the LVEF increased as a continuous variable over 35%. However, in patients with EF < 35%, the mortality risk continue to increase as the LVEF declined. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with ADHF, the unadjusted mortality rates are similar across LVEF strata. However, after accounting for key patient variables, the mortality risk increases as EF falls below 35%. These data will be useful in planning future studies of ADHF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION www.clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00475852.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Toma
- Division of Cardiology, St. Paul's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
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Eapen ZJ, Reed SD, Li Y, Kociol RD, Armstrong PW, Starling RC, McMurray JJ, Massie BM, Swedberg K, Ezekowitz JA, Fonarow GC, Teerlink JR, Metra M, Whellan DJ, O'Connor CM, Califf RM, Hernandez AF. Do countries or hospitals with longer hospital stays for acute heart failure have lower readmission rates?: Findings from ASCEND-HF. Circ Heart Fail 2013; 6:727-32. [PMID: 23770519 DOI: 10.1161/circheartfailure.112.000265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hospital readmission is an important clinical outcome of patients with heart failure. Its relation to length of stay for the initial hospitalization is not clear. METHODS AND RESULTS We used hierarchical modeling of data from a clinical trial to examine variations in length of stay across countries and across hospitals in the United States and its association with readmission within 30 days of randomization. Main outcomes included associations between country-level length of stay and readmission rates, after adjustment for patient-level case mix; and associations between length of stay and readmission rates across sites in the United States. Across 27 countries with 389 sites and 6848 patients, mean length of stay ranged from 4.9 to 14.6 days (6.1 days in the United States). Rates of all-cause readmission ranged from 2.5% to 25.0% (17.8% in the United States). There was an inverse correlation between country-level mean length of stay and readmission (r=-0.52; P<0.01). After multivariable adjustment, each additional inpatient day across countries was associated with significantly lower risk of all-cause readmission (odds ratio, 0.86; 95% confidence interval, 0.75-0.98; P=0.02) and heart failure readmission (odds ratio, 0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.69-0.99; P=0.03). Similar trends were observed across US study sites concerning readmission for any cause (odds ratio, 0.92; 95% confidence interval, 0.85-1.00; P=0.06) and readmission for heart failure (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.01; P=0.07). Across countries and across US sites, longer median length of stay was independently associated with lower risk of readmission. CONCLUSIONS Countries with longer length of stay for heart failure hospitalizations had significantly lower rates of readmission within 30 days of randomization. These findings may have implications for developing strategies to prevent readmission, defining quality measures, and designing clinical trials in acute heart failure. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00475852.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zubin J Eapen
- Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC 27715, USA.
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Ezekowitz JA, Hu J, Delgado D, Hernandez AF, Kaul P, Leader R, Proulx G, Virani S, White M, Zieroth S, O'Connor C, Westerhout CM, Armstrong PW. Acute heart failure: perspectives from a randomized trial and a simultaneous registry. Circ Heart Fail 2012; 5:735-41. [PMID: 23032196 DOI: 10.1161/circheartfailure.112.968974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Randomized controlled trials (RCT) are limited by their generalizability to the broader nontrial population. To provide a context for Acute Study of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial, we designed a complementary registry to characterize clinical characteristics, practice patterns, and in-hospital outcomes of acute heart failure patients. METHODS AND RESULTS Eligible patients for the registry included those with a principal diagnosis of acute heart failure (ICD-9-CM 402 and 428; ICD-10 I50.x, I11.0, I13.0, I13.2) from 8 sites participating in ASCEND-HF (n=697 patients, 2007-2010). Baseline characteristics, treatments, and hospital outcomes from the registy were compared with ASCEND-HF RCT patients from 31 Canadian sites (n=465, 2007-2010). Patients in the registry were older, more likely to be female, and have chronic respiratory disease, less likely to have diabetes mellitus: they had a similar incidence of ischemic HF, atrial fibrillation, and similar B-type natriuretic peptide levels. Registry patients had higher systolic blood pressure (registry: median 132 mm Hg [interquartile range 115-151 mm Hg]; RCT: median 120 mm Hg [interquartile range 110-135 mm Hg]) and ejection fraction (registry: median 40% [interquartile range 27-58%]; RCT: median 29% [interquartile range 20-40 mm Hg]) than RCT patients. Registry patients presented more often via ambulance and had a similar total length of stay as RCT patients. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in the registry compared with the RCT patients (9.3% versus 1.3%,P<0.001), and this remained after multivariable adjustment (odds ratio 6.6, 95% CI 2.6-16.8, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Patients enrolled in a large RCT of acute heart failure differed significantly based on clinical characteristics, treatments, and inpatient outcomes from contemporaneous patients participating in a registry. These results highlight the need for context of RCTs to evaluate generalizability of results and especially the need to improve clinical outcomes in acute heart failure. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00475852.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin A Ezekowitz
- Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and the University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
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