Effect of serum sodium concentration and tolvaptan treatment on length of hospitalization in patients with heart failure

Purpose The effect of serum sodium concentration and tolvaptan treatment on length of stay (LOS) in patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) was evaluated. Methods Data for this study were derived from a large, international, Phase III trial of patients hospitalized for HF. Two distinct post hoc analyses were performed, analyzing the association between serum sodium concentration and index hospitalization LOS in normonatremic patients and hyponatremic patients treated with placebo plus standard of care versus tolvaptan. Analysis of covariance models were constructed to adjust for potential variation in care delivery and adjusted for hyponatremia status or treatment. Results Patients with a baseline serum sodium concentration of p p Conclusion A secondary analysis of a large, international, Phase III trial of patients hospitalized for HF demonstrated that comorbid hyponatremia was associated with a significant increase in hospital LOS. Treatment of hyponatremia with tolvaptan was associated with reductions in LOS that were not significant.