Patient-reported outcomes predict high readmission rates among patients with cardiac diagnoses. Findings from the DenHeart study.

BACKGROUND: High rates of readmission after myocardial infarction and cardiac surgery have been reported, indicating a heavy burden for both patients and society. Patient-reported outcomes are predictors of adverse outcomes such as morbidity and mortality and may also be useful in preventive risk assessment as predictors of readmission. AIM: To describe (i) the prevalence of cardiac readmissions one year after hospital discharge among cardiac patients, (ii) patient-reported outcomes at hospital discharge as predictors of readmission. METHODS: The following patient-reported outcomes were measured across cardiac diagnoses at hospital discharge from the five heart centres, cardiology and thoracic surgery units, as a part of the national, cross-sectional DenHeart Study: Short-Form 12 (SF-12), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), EuroQoL (EQ-5D-5L), HeartQoL and the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS). One year readmissions were obtained from national registers. RESULTS: A total of 34,564 cardiac patients were discharged of whom 16,712 patients completed the questionnaire. A total of 11,693 (36%) patients were readmitted for cardiac reasons at least once during the first year after index admission. The risk of readmission was predicted by anxiety (HR = 1.36 (CI:1.26-1.46)) and depression (HR = 1.42 (CI:1.31-1.55)). Higher scores reflected lower readmission risk on the physical (HR = 0.98 (CI:0.98-0.98)) health component of the SF-12. CONCLUSION: A total of 36% of cardiac patients admitted to a national heart center were readmitted during the first year. Readmission was predicted by patient-reported anxiety, depression, perceived health, quality of life and symptom distress, which may be used in risk assessment in clinical practice.

Patient-reported outcomes are independent predictors of one-year mortality and cardiac events across cardiac diagnoses: Findings from the national DenHeart survey.

AIMS: Patient-reported quality of life and anxiety/depression scores provide important prognostic information independently of traditional clinical data. The aims of this study were to describe: (a) mortality and cardiac events one year after hospital discharge across cardiac diagnoses; (b) patient-reported outcomes at hospital discharge as a predictor of mortality and cardiac events. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey with register follow-up. METHODS: Participants: All patients discharged from April 2013 to April 2014 from five national heart centres in Denmark. MAIN OUTCOMES: Patient-reported outcomes: anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale); perceived health (Short Form-12); quality of life (HeartQoL and EQ-5D); symptom burden (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale). Register data: mortality and cardiac events within one year following discharge. RESULTS: There were 471 deaths among the 16,689 respondents in the first year after discharge. Across diagnostic groups, patients reporting symptoms of anxiety had a two-fold greater mortality risk when adjusted for age, sex, marital status, educational level, comorbidity, smoking, body mass index and alcohol intake (hazard ratio (HR) 1.92, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.52-2.42). Similar increased mortality risks were found for patients reporting symptoms of depression (HR 2.29, 95% CI 1.81-2.90), poor quality of life (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.39-0.54) and severe symptom distress (HR 2.47, 95% CI 1.92-3.19). Cardiac events were predicted by poor quality of life (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.65-0.77) and severe symptom distress (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.35-1.85). CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported mental and physical health outcomes are independent predictors of one-year mortality and cardiac events across cardiac diagnoses.

Sociodemographic, Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes and Readmission After Heart Valve Surgery.

BACKGROUND: Readmissions after heart valve surgery represent a significant burden for both the patient and the healthcare system. The study aim was to identify independent predictors of readmission within 180 days after surgery in a population of patients undergoing heart valve surgery. METHODS: Demographic and clinical information was obtained from national registers. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including Short Form 12 (SF-12) and EuroQol 5D (EQ-5D) were measured at discharge as part of a national, cross-sectional study (DenHeart). Predictors of first readmission were investigated. RESULTS: Among a total of 1,084 patients (65% men; mean age 68 years; 354 responded to questionnaires), 534 (49%) were readmitted. Responding patients who were readmitted were younger and a greater proportion had undergone mitral valve surgery. A significantly higher proportion of non-responders was readmitted. No significant differences were found in PROs between patients readmitted and those not readmitted, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed no predictive effect of SF-12 and EQ-5D. Survival analysis using Cox proportional hazard models showed that prior percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (HR 1.50, CI 1.10; 2.05, p = 0.010) and a history of heart failure (HR 1.37, CI 1.10; 1.72, p = 0.006) were predictive of readmission. CONCLUSIONS: Readmission rates after heart valve surgery are high and often seen in patients who have undergone PCI and heart failure before surgery. Predictors for these high readmissions rates are difficult to establish based on medical history and type of surgery. PROs at discharge contribute information regarding a patient's perception of their often poor quality of life, but do not predict readmission.

Patient-reported outcomes after aortic and mitral valve surgery - results from the DenHeart Study.

BACKGROUND: Clinical course, co-morbidity and age often differs between patients undergoing aortic and mitral valve surgery and this might affect patient-reported outcomes. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to describe differences in patient-reported physical and mental health and health-related quality of life after aortic valve or mitral valve surgery, and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics associated with worse patient-reported physical and mental health, and health-related quality of life. METHODS: Patient-reported outcomes were measured at discharge as a part of a national, cross-sectional study (DenHeart). Patient-reported outcome measures included: Short-Form-12, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EuroQol-5D-5L, HeartQol and Edmonton Symptom Assessment System. Demographic and clinical information was obtained from national registers. RESULTS: Of 354 patients (65% men, mean age: 68 years), 79% underwent aortic valve surgery. Patients who had undergone aortic valve surgery had more symptoms of anxiety compared with patients who had undergone mitral valve surgery (34% vs 17%, p=0.003, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety cut-off score of eight). Being female was associated with worse patient-reported outcomes on all measures, whereas being unmarried was associated with worse physical health (Physical Component Score Short-Form-12) and symptom burden (Edmonton Symptom Assessment System). Length of stay was associated with worse symptoms on EuroQol-5D-5L Visual Analogue Scale. Age and comorbidity were not associated with patient-reported outcomes. CONCLUSION: Patients who had undergone aortic valve and mitral valve surgery did not significantly differ in patient-reported health at discharge, except for symptoms of anxiety. Being female was the only characteristic associated with overall worse patient-reported outcomes at discharge.

Plenty of pills: polypharmacy prevails in patients of a Danish anticoagulant clinic.

PURPOSE: Vitamin K antagonist (VKA) treatment can successfully prevent thromboembolic complications, but the modality has a narrow therapeutic window and numerous interactions with other pharmaceuticals. The aim of the study reported here was to describe the use of co-medications and the prevalence of polypharmacy among patients treated with VKA. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, 250 consecutive patients (65% male, median age 68 years, most common indication for VKA treatment: atrial fibrillation) in the maintenance phase of VKA treatment were interviewed about their use of prescription medications, over-the-counter drugs and alternative medicines during the last 7 days. RESULTS: The interviewed patients used a median of five medications (range 1-13), including VKA. Approximately 50% of the patients also took alternative medicines. A wide range of conventional and alternative medicines were used, several of which harbour possible interactions with VKA. Polypharmacy was defined as the use of five or more medications, excluding alternative medicines. The group of polypharmacy patients included 53% of the study population. The use of amiodarone, age >50 years, the indication for VKA treatment being atrial fibrillation or mechanical heart valves and diabetes were independent predictors of polypharmacy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study highlight that polypharmacy is a common phenomenon among patients on anticoagulant medication, particularly among elderly patients or those suffering from cardiovascular disease or diabetes.