Outcomes of patients with systolic heart failure presenting with sepsis to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital: a retrospective chart review study from Lebanon

Abstract

ObjectivesPatients with congestive heart failure (CHF) may be at a higher risk of mortality from sepsis than patients without CHF due to insufficient cardiovascular reserves during systemic infections. The aim of this study is to compare sepsis-related mortality between CHF and no CHF in patients presenting to a tertiary medical centre.DesignA single-centre, retrospective, cohort study.SettingConducted in an academic emergency department (ED) between January 2010 and January 2015. Patients’ charts were queried via the hospital’s electronic system. Patients with a diagnosis of sepsis were included. Descriptive analysis was performed on the demographics, characteristics and outcomes of patients with sepsis of the study population.ParticipantsA total of 174 patients, of which 87 (50%) were patients with CHF.Primary and secondary outcomesThe primary outcome of the study was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay, and differences in interventions between the two groups.ResultsPatients with CHF had a higher in-hospital mortality (57.5% vs 34.5%). Patients with sepsis and CHF had higher odds of death compared with the control population (OR 2.45; 95% CI 1.22 to 4.88). Secondary analyses showed that patients with CHF had lower instances of bacteraemia on presentation to the ED (31.8% vs 46.4%). They had less intravenous fluid requirements in first 24 hours (2.75±2.28 L vs 3.67±2.82 L, p =0.038), had a higher rate of intubation in the ED (24.2% vs 10.6%, p=0.025) and required more dobutamine in the first 24 hours (16.1% vs 1.1%, p<0.001). ED length of stay was found to be lower in patients with CHF (15.12±24.45 hours vs 18.17±26.13 hours, p=0.418) and they were more likely to be admitted to the ICU (59.8% vs 48.8%, p=0.149).ConclusionPatients with sepsis and CHF experienced an increased hospital mortality compared with patients without CHF.