Trends and outcomes of device-related 30-day readmissions after left ventricular assist device implantation

Examining Long-Term Influences of Frailty on Outcomes for Adults Undergoing Left Ventricular Assist Device Therapy

BACKGROUND

Frailty is common in adults with end-stage heart failure receiving a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Short-term studies show frailty reversal post-LVAD. Little is known about long-term frailty and how frailty relates to key LVAD outcomes, including depression, quality of life (QoL), and cognition beyond 6 months.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to examine physical frailty, depression, QoL, and cognition from pre-LVAD implantation to 3, 6, and 12 months post-LVAD implantation.

METHODS

Clinical data and measures of physical frailty, depression, QoL, and cognition pre- and post-LVAD were extracted from an existing institutional database. Descriptive statistics and tests for statistical significance were used to describe and compare changes over time. Frailty trajectories were identified to describe physical frailty from pre-LVAD to 12 months post-LVAD.

RESULTS

The sample (n = 46) was predominantly male (76%), with a mean age of 64.7 ± 11 years, and over half (n = 25) were physically frail. Physical frailty was reduced by nearly half at 12 months. Frailty, depression, and QoL significantly improved at all time points (P < .001). Improvements in cognition did not reach statistical significance. Recipients of LVAD without improvement in frailty exhibited worse depression, QoL, and cognition scores at 12 months compared with those not frail pre-LVAD or no longer frail post-LVAD implantation.

CONCLUSION

Some recipients of LVADs experienced physical frailty reversal with benefits sustained long-term. Those without improvement recorded worse long-term patient-reported outcomes. Identifying factors that predict physical frailty response to LVAD implantation is a key area of future research.

Impact of Frailty on Left Ventricular Assist Device Clinical Outcomes

Frailty is a clinical syndrome prevalent in older adults and carries poor outcomes in patients with heart failure. We investigated the impact of frailty on left ventricular assist device (LVAD) clinical outcomes. The Nationwide Readmission Database was used to retrospectively identify patients with a primary diagnosis of heart failure who underwent LVAD implantation during their hospitalization from 2014 to 2020. Patients were categorized into frail and nonfrail groups using the Hospital Frailty Risk Score. Cox and logistic regression were used to predict the impact of frailty on inpatient mortality, 30-day readmissions, length of stay, and discharge to a skilled nursing facility. LVADs were implanted in 11,465 patients who met the inclusion criteria. There was more LVAD use in patients who were identified as frail (81.6% vs 18.4%, p <0.001). The Cox regression analyses revealed that LVAD insertion was not associated with increased inpatient mortality in frail patients (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 0.81 to 1.65, p = 0.427). Frail patients also did not experience a higher likelihood of readmissions within 30 days (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% confidence interval 0.91 to 1.44, p = 0.239). LVAD implantation did not result in a significant increase in inpatient mortality or readmission rates in frail patients compared with nonfrail patients. These data support continued LVAD use in this high-risk patient population.

Unplanned readmissions after Impella mechanical circulatory support

BACKGROUND

Early readmissions significantly impact on patient-wellbeing, burden the health-care system, and are important quality metrics. Data on 30-day readmission following Impella mechanical circulatory support (MCS) are unknown. We aimed to assess the rates, causes and clinical outcomes associated with 30-day unplanned readmissions after Impella mechanical circulatory support (MCS).

METHODS

Discharged patients who underwent Impella MCS between 2016 and 2019 in the U.S. Nationwide Readmission Database were analyzed. Incidence, causes, and outcomes associated with 30-day unplanned readmissions were assessed.

RESULTS

Of 22,055 patients who received Impella MCS, 2685 (12.2%) experienced 30-day readmissions. Cardiac readmissions accounted for 51.7% compared to 48.3% of non-cardiac readmissions, and most (70%) patients were readmitted back to the index hospital. Heart failure was the leading cause of cardiac readmissions accounting for 25% of them, whereas infections were the most common cause among non-cardiac readmissions. Patients who were readmitted were significantly older (median age 71 versus 68 years), more likely to be female (31% versus 26%) and had a shorter length-of-stay (index hospitalization, median 8 versus 9 days) compared to those who were not readmitted. Factors independently associated with 30-day readmissions were chronic renal (aOR: 1.46, 95% CI: 1.35-1.57), pulmonary (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.15-1.33), and liver disease (aOR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.17-1.63), anemia (aOR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.26-1.46), female sex (aOR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.12-1.30), index admission on weekends (aOR: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.13-1.34), STEMI diagnosis (aOR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.02-1.31), major adverse event during index hospitalization (aOR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.00-1.24), prolonged length-of-stay (median 9 vs. 8 days, P < 0.001), and discharge against medical advice (aOR: 2.06, 95% CI: 1.37-3.09). Significantly higher mortality rates were overserved during readmissions to a hospital different than the MCS implanting hospital (12% versus 5.9%, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Thirty-day readmissions after Impella MCS are relatively common and relate to sex, baseline comorbidities, presentation, expected primary payer, discharge destination and initial length of hospital stay. Heart failure was the leading cause of cardiac readmissions, whereas infections were the most common cause among non-cardiac readmissions. Most patients were readmitted to the same hospital as their index admission for MCS. Higher mortality rates were observed when patients were readmitted to a different hospital.

Effect of pulmonary artery pressure-guided therapy on heart failure readmission in a nationally representative cohort

AIMS

Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP)-guided therapy in patients with heart failure (HF) using the CardioMEMS (CMM) device, an implantable PAP sensor, has been shown to reduce HF hospitalizations in previous studies. We sought to evaluate the clinical benefit of the CMM device in regard to 30, 90, and 180 day readmission rates in real-world usage.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We queried the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD) to identify patients who underwent CMM implantation (International Classification of Diseases 9 and 10 codes) between the years 2014 and 2019 and studied their HF readmissions. Moreover, we compared CMM patients and their readmissions with a matched cohort of patients with HF but without CMM. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to adjust for other predictors of readmissions. Prior to matching, we identified 5 326 530 weighted HF patients without CMM and 1842 patients with CMM. After propensity score matching for several patients and hospital-related characteristics, the cohort consisted of 1839 patients with CMM and 1924 with HF without CMM. Before matching, CMM patients were younger (67.0 ± 13.5 years vs. 72.3 ± 14.1 years, P < 0.001), more frequently male (62.7% vs. 51.5%, P < 0.001), with higher rates of prior percutaneous coronary intervention (16.9% vs. 13.2%, P = 0.002), peripheral vascular disease (29.6% vs. 17.8%, P < 0.001), pulmonary circulatory disorder (38.7% vs. 23.2%, P < 0.001), atrial fibrillation (51.2% vs. 45.3%, P = 0.002), prior left ventricular assist device (1.8% vs. 0.2%, P < 0.001), high income (32.2% vs. 16.4%, P < 0.001), and acute kidney disease (43.8% vs. 29.9%, P < 0.001). Readmission rates at 30 days were 17.3% vs. 20.9% for patients with vs. without CMM, respectively, and remained statistically significant after matching (17.3% vs. 21.5%, P = 0.002). The rates of 90 day (29.6% vs. 36.5%, P = 0.002) and 180 day (39.6% vs. 46.6%, P = 0.009) readmissions were lower in the CMM group. In a multivariable regression model, CMM was associated with lower risk of readmissions (hazard ratio 0.75, 95% confidence interval 0.63-0.89, P = 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The CMM device was associated with reduced HF rehospitalization rates in a nationally representative cohort of HF patients, validating the clinical trial that led to the approval of this device and its utilization in the treatment of HF.

Analysis of Trends and Outcomes of 90 and 180 Day Readmissions After Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation

Despite decreasing morbidity and mortality in left ventricular assist device (LVAD) recipients, readmission after implantation remains a major problem. Our aim was to investigate the trends and outcomes of 90 and 180 day readmission in this population. The National Readmission Database from 2012 to 2017 was queried to identify LVAD recipients. A total of 5,907 adults (90 day readmissions) and 3,653 adults (180 day readmissions) who survived LVAD implantation during the index admission were included in our analysis. Readmissions occurred in 45.6% and 65.1% by 90 and 180 days, respectively, with most readmissions occurring within the first 20 days. During the study period, mortality at index admission and readmission rate after discharge from index admission remained stable, whereas mortality during the readmission declined overtime both at 90 and 180 days. Heart failure was the most common cause for readmission (both 90 and 180 days), while its incidence also increased over the years. Among the reasons for readmission, intracranial bleeding, ischemic stroke, and device thrombosis were associated with highest mortality and gastrointestinal bleeding with the lowest. Intracranial bleeding, device thrombosis, and device infection were associated with longer length of stay. Multivariate logistic regression models identified gastrointestinal bleeding, length of stay during index admission, and end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis as risk factors of readmissions. Our study has unveiled several important factors associated with readmission and mortality. Approaches to identify and prevent readmissions early after LVAD implantation by addressing these factors may lead to lower morbidity, healthcare cost related to readmission, and improved quality of life.

Contemporary Trends of Clinical Outcomes in Primary Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation and Postprocedure High-Risk Categories

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to analyze trends of 30-day readmission and find high-risk patients associated with increased risk of mortality, resource use, and readmission after primary left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. Limited data exist on the contemporary trends of readmission rates and patients at a higher risk of worse outcomes after LVAD implantation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This is a retrospective study of adults from the Nationwide Readmission Database who underwent primary durable LVAD implantation from 2010 to 2018. The main outcomes were 30-day readmission rates and their trends in patients with primary durable LVAD implantation from 2010 to 2018. This study also sought to identify patients at the highest risk for readmission, in-hospital mortality, and resource use. A total of 31,002 adults with primary durable LVAD implantation were included in the present analysis. Overall, 3808 patients (12.3%) died and 27,168 (87.6%) were discharged alive. Of those discharged alive, 8303 patients (30.6%) were readmitted within 30 days. The trend of 30-day all-cause readmission among LVAD implantation patients remained similar from 2010 to 2018 (P = .809). The in-hospital mortality rate during the index hospitalization decreased significantly (P = .014), and the mean cost of an index hospitalization increased (P = .031) during the study period. The patients with post-LVAD in-hospital cardiac, vascular, and thromboembolic complications (ie, high-risk patients) had the highest mortality, resource use, and readmission rates compared with patients without major complications.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that the readmission rates associated with LVAD implantation did not change from 2010 to 2018 and identified high-risk patients who may benefit from closer monitoring after primary LVAD implantation.

Analysis of outcome of 6-month readmissions after percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion

OBJECTIVE

Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) is an alternative strategy for prevention of thromboembolic events in patients with atrial fibrillation and unsuitable for long-term oral anticoagulation. The study aimed to evaluate the causes and timing of readmissions within 6 months following percutaneous LAAO in a real-world setting.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of percutaneous LAAO performed in the USA between January and June of 2016-2018 using the Nationwide Readmissions Database.

RESULTS

Overall, 12 446 patients who underwent LAAO were included in the analyses and 3477 patients (28%) were readmitted within 6 months following the interventions. Readmitted patients were more often women (p=0.001). The index hospitalisation was characterised by longer duration of hospital stay (p<0.001) and complicated with acute kidney injury (p<0.001) among readmitted patients compared with those without readmissions. Readmissions within 6 months following the index intervention were mainly due to heart failure (13%) and gastrointestinal bleeding (12%). Characteristics associated with readmissions due to heart failure included previously known heart failure (HR 2.39; 95% CI 1.70 to 3.37), valvular heart disease (HR 1.39; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.84) and chronic kidney disease (HR 1.42; 95% CI 1.03 to 1.94). Readmissions due to gastrointestinal bleeding were associated with diabetes mellitus (HR 1.78; 95% CI 1.25 to 2.53), chronic kidney disease (HR 1.86; 95% CI 1.23 to 2.81) and previous anaemia (HR 2.41; 95% CI 1.54 to 3.77).

CONCLUSIONS

After percutaneous LAAO, over a quarter of the patients in the USA required rehospitalisation within 6 months, mainly due to heart failure and gastrointestinal bleeding.