 | Related Articles |
Heart failure admissions in adults with congenital heart disease; risk factors and prognosis.
Int J Cardiol. 2013 Oct 3;168(3):2487-93
Authors: Zomer AC, Vaartjes I, van der Velde ET, de Jong HM, Konings TC, Wagenaar LJ, Heesen WF, Eerens F, Baur LH, Grobbee DE, Mulder BJ
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a serious complication and often the cause of death in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). Therefore, our aims were to determine the frequency of HF-admissions, and to assess risk factors of first HF-admission and of mortality after first HF-admission in adults with CHD.
METHODS: The Dutch CONCOR registry was linked to the Hospital Discharge Registry and National Mortality Registry to obtain data on HF-admissions and mortality. Risk factors for both HF-admission and mortality were assessed using Cox regression models.
RESULTS: Of 10,808 adult patients (49% male), 274 (2.5%) were admitted for HF during a median follow-up period of 21 years. The incidence of first HF-admission was 1.2 per 1000 patient-years, but the incidence of HF itself will be higher. Main defect, multiple defects, and surgical interventions in childhood were identified as independent risk factors of HF-admission. Patients admitted for HF had a five-fold higher risk of mortality than patients not admitted (hazard ratio (HR)=5.3; 95% confidence interval 4.2-6.9). One- and three-year mortality after first HF-admission were 24% and 35% respectively. Independent risk factors for three-year mortality after first HF-admission were male gender, pacemaker implantation, admission duration, non-cardiac medication use and high serum creatinine.
CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of HF-admission in adults with CHD is 1.2 per 1000 patient-years. Mortality risk is substantially increased after HF-admission, which emphasises the importance to identify patients at high risk of HF-admission. These patients might benefit from closer follow-up and earlier medical interventions. The presented risk factors may facilitate surveillance.
PMID: 23602867 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]