Precipitating factors and clinical impact of early rehospitalization for heart failure in patients with heart failure in Awaji Island, Japan

Abstract Background Recent reports have revealed that patients who experienced early rehospitalization for heart failure (HF) had worse prognoses in terms of all-cause and cardiovascular deaths as compared to those who did not. However, precipitating factors for early rehospitalization for HF remain unknown. In this study, we assessed the precipitating factors for early rehospitalization and their impact in patients with HF. Methods and results We consecutively included 242 patients (mean age: 80.4 years, females: 46.3%) with a history of rehospitalization for HF. They were divided into 2 groups: the early rehospitalization group (71 patients who were readmitted within 3 months of discharge) and the late rehospitalization group (171 patients who were readmitted after more than 3 months following discharge). During the mean follow-up period of 1,144 days (range: 857–1,417 days), 121 patients (50.0%) died. Kaplan–Meier analysis revealed that patients in the early rehospitalization group had worse prognosis (all-cause death and cardiovascular death) than those in the late rehospitalization group (log-rank p Conclusions We concluded that early hospital readmission in patients with HF was associated with higher mortality rates. Compared to late rehospitalization, precipitating factors for early rehospitalization were more strongly dependent on the self-care behaviors of the patients. A more effective approach, such as multidisciplinary intervention, is essential to prevent early hospital readmission and subsequent poor prognosis.