ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Hospital readmission rates among heart failure (HF) patients remain a persistent challenge. While various risk factors have been identified, their impact on individual patients varies, and not all patients with these risk factors will necessarily experience readmission within 90 days. This study aimed to identify and assess the significance of risk factors associated with readmission of HF patients within 90 days. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The sample size comprised 130 patients. Data was collected from hospital records of all HF patients readmitted within 90 days of discharge between 2018 and 2022. RESULTS: The study included 130 patients. The majority (70%) were between 51 and 70 years old. Most patients had a hospital stay ranging from 1 to 10 days (83.1%). Shortness of breath (SOB) was the most common reason for readmission, accounting for 80% of cases. Other reasons included chest pain (CP) (6.2%), orthopnea (13.1%), paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND) (5.4%), lower limb edema (LLE) issues (1.5%), and heart failure (HF) itself (2.3%). Less common reasons included fever (1.5%), pneumonia (1.5%), altered level of consciousness (1.5%), and urinary tract infection (1.5%). CONCLUSION: Readmission rates for HF patients remain high, attributed to factors such as non-adherence to medication and lifestyle changes, comorbidities, inadequate discharge planning, and social determinants of health. Males may be more prone to experiencing SOB and subsequently requiring readmission at a higher rate. These findings underscore the need for comprehensive interventions that address these risk factors to minimize readmission rates and improve patient outcomes.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Pericarditis is an inflammatory pericardial disorder that can be caused by several infectious and non-infectious illnesses. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was recently added to the long list of pericarditis causes. As a result, this study aims to look at the incidence of various etiologies of pericarditis, including post-COVID-19 vaccine and risk factors, at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: Between 2012 and 2022, all male and female patients diagnosed with acute, chronic, or constrictive pericarditis at the King Abdulaziz University Hospital clinic were included in this retrospective study, which took place in June 2022. Data were collected from the hospital's medical records, including the patient's demographic information, pericarditis history, medical history, social background, laboratory tests, Echocardiogram (ECHO) and electrocardiogram (ECG) readings, and medication history. Associations were tested using univariate and bivariate analysis. RESULTS: Acute pericarditis was diagnosed in 59 (89.1%) patients and the most common symptoms were chest pain and shortness of breath (SOB) followed by fever and cough.Idiopathic pericarditis was the primary etiology 30 (46.9%) with male predominance 25 (55.6%), followed by infections and then cardiac presenting primarily with chest pain 25 (83.3%). In comparison, the most common presentation in females was autoimmune, as seen in eight patients (42.1%). Most patients required aspirin, ibuprofen, and colchicine. Among outcomes, of a total of 64 patients, five died within 30 days. Moreover, four (7.5%) experienced subsequent cardiac tamponades, which was mainly due to malignancy (50%) (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There was a substantial relationship between malignancy and developing morbid complications, with 59 patients out of 64 getting acute pericarditis and the remainder chronic and constrictive pericarditis with idiopathic pericarditis being the leading causes.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The X-linked Danon disease manifests by severe cardiomyopathy, myopathy, and neuropsychiatric problems. We designed this registry to generate a comprehensive picture of clinical presentations and outcome of patients with Danon disease in cardiomyopathy centers throughout Europe. METHODS: Clinical and genetic data were collected in 16 cardiology centers from 8 European countries. RESULTS: The cohort comprised 30 male and 27 female patients. The age at diagnosis was birth to 42 years in men and 2 to 65 in women. Cardiac involvement was observed in 96%. Extracardiac manifestations were prominent in men but not in women. Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy was reported in 73% of male and 74% of female patients. LV systolic dysfunction was reported in 40% of men (who had LV ejection fraction, 34±11%) and 59% of women (LV ejection fraction, 28±13%). The risk of arrhythmia and heart failure was comparable among sexes. The age of first heart failure hospitalization was lower in men (18±6 versus 28±17 years; P<0.003). Heart failure was the leading cause of death (10 of 17; 59%), and LV systolic dysfunction predicted an adverse outcome. Eight men and 8 women (28%) underwent heart transplantation or received an LV assist device. Our cohort suggests better prognosis of female compared with male heart transplant recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Danon disease presents earlier in men than in women and runs a malignant course in both sexes, due to cardiac complications. Cardiomyopathy features, heart failure and arrhythmia, are similar among the sexes. Clinical diagnosis and management is extremely challenging in women due to phenotypic diversity and the absence of extracardiac manifestations.