Risk factors and clinical outcomes of functional decline during hospitalisation in very old patients with acute decompensated heart failure: an observational study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the prevalence and risk factors of functional decline during hospitalisation and its relationship with postdischarge outcomes in very old patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) hospitalisation.DesignProspective cohort study between 1 October 2014 and 31 March 2016.SettingA physician-initiated, multicentre study of consecutive patients admitted for ADHF in 19 hospitals throughout Japan.ParticipantsAmong 3555 patients hospitalised for ADHF (median age (IQR), 80 (71–86) years; 1572 (44%) women), functional decline during the index hospitalisation occurred in 528 patients (15%).Primary and secondary outcomesThe primary outcome measure was a composite of all-cause death or heart failure (HF) hospitalisation after discharge. The secondary outcome measures were all-cause death, HF hospitalisation, and a composite of all-cause death or all-cause hospitalisation.ResultsThe independent risk factors for functional decline included age ≥80 years (OR 2.71; 95% CI 2.09 to 3.51), female (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.05 to 1.67), prior stroke (OR 1.67; 95% CI 1.28 to 2.19), dementia (OR 2.26; 95% CI 1.74 to 2.95), ambulatory before admission (OR 1.74; 95% CI 1.29 to 2.35), elevated body temperature (OR 1.91; 95% CI 1.31 to 2.79), New York Heart Association class III or IV on admission (OR 1.54; 95% CI 1.07 to 2.22), decreased albumin levels (OR 1.76; 95% CI 1.32 to 2.34), hyponatraemia (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.10 to 2.03) and renal dysfunction (OR 1.55; 95% CI 1.22 to 1.98), after multivariable adjustment. The cumulative 1-year incidence of the primary outcome in the functional decline group was significantly higher than that in the no functional decline group (50% vs 31%, log-rank p<0.001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics, the higher risk of the functional decline group relative to the no functional decline group remained significant (adjusted HR 1.46; 95% CI 1.24 to 1.71; p<0.001).ConclusionsIndependent risk factors of functional decline in very old patients with ADHF were related to both frailty and severity of HF. Functional decline during ADHF hospitalisation was associated with unfavourable postdischarge outcomes.Trial registration numberNCT02334891UMIN000015238.