BACKGROUND New-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is associated with adverse outcomes during a sepsis hospitalization; however, long-term outcomes following hospitalization with sepsis-associated ...new-onset AF are unclear. METHODS We used a Medicare 5% sample to identify patients who survived hospitalization with sepsis between 1999 and 2010. AF status was defined as no AF, prior AF, or new-onset AF based on AF claims during and prior to a sepsis hospitalization. We used competing risk models to determine 5-year risks of AF occurrence, heart failure, ischemic stroke, and mortality after the sepsis hospitalization, according to AF status during the sepsis admission. RESULTS We identified 138,722 sepsis survivors, of whom 95,536 (69%) had no AF during sepsis, 33,646 (24%) had prior AF, and 9,540 (7%) had new-onset AF during sepsis. AF occurrence following sepsis hospitalization was more common among patients with new-onset AF during sepsis (54.9%) than in patients with no AF during sepsis (15.5%). Compared with patients with no AF during sepsis, those with new-onset AF during sepsis had greater 5-year risks of hospitalization for heart failure (11.2% vs 8.2%; multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.16-1.34), ischemic stroke (5.3% vs 4.7%; HR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.10-1.36), and death (74.8% vs 72.1%; HR, 1.04; 95% CI,1.01-1.07). CONCLUSIONS Most sepsis survivors with new-onset AF during sepsis have AF occur after discharge from the sepsis hospitalization and have increased long-term risks of heart failure, ischemic stroke, and death. Our findings may have implications for posthospitalization surveillance of patients with new-onset AF during a sepsis hospitalization.
For patients with coronary heart disease, exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation improves survival rate and has beneficial effects on risk factors for coronary artery disease. The relationship between ...the number of sessions attended and long-term outcomes is unknown.
In a national 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries, we identified 30 161 elderly patients who attended at least 1 cardiac rehabilitation session between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2005. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to estimate the relationship between the number of sessions attended and death and myocardial infarction (MI) at 4 years. The cumulative number of sessions was a time-dependent covariate. After adjustment for demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and subsequent hospitalization, patients who attended 36 sessions had a 14% lower risk of death (hazard ratio HR, 0.86; 95% confidence interval CI, 0.77 to 0.97) and a 12% lower risk of MI (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.93) than those who attended 24 sessions; a 22% lower risk of death (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.71 to 0.87) and a 23% lower risk of MI (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69 to 0.87) than those who attended 12 sessions; and a 47% lower risk of death (HR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.48 to 0.59) and a 31% lower risk of MI (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.58 to 0.81) than those who attended 1 session.
Among Medicare beneficiaries, a strong dose-response relationship existed between the number of cardiac rehabilitation sessions and long-term outcomes. Attending all 36 sessions reimbursed by Medicare was associated with lower risks of death and MI at 4 years compared with attending fewer sessions.
Background Inpatient clinical registries generally have limited ability to provide a longitudinal perspective on care beyond the acute episode. We present a method to link hospitalization records ...from registries with Medicare inpatient claims data, without using direct identifiers, to create a unique data source that pairs rich clinical data with long-term outcome data. Methods and Results The method takes advantage of the hospital clustering observed in each database by demonstrating that different combinations of indirect identifiers within hospitals yield a large proportion of unique patient records. This high level of uniqueness also allows linking without advance knowledge of the Medicare provider number of each registry hospital. We applied this method to 2 inpatient databases and were able to identify 81% of 39,178 records in a large clinical registry of patients with heart failure and 91% of 6,581 heart failure records from a hospital inpatient database. The quality of the link is high, and reasons for incomplete linkage are explored. Finally, we discuss the unique opportunities afforded by combining claims and clinical data for specific analyses. Conclusions In the absence of direct identifiers, it is possible to create a high-quality link between inpatient clinical registry data and Medicare claims data. The method will allow researchers to use existing data to create a linked claims-clinical database that capitalizes on the strengths of both types of data sources.
To determine if neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation independently predicts 30-day mortality and readmission for patients with sepsis or critical illness after adjusting for individual poverty, ...demographics, comorbidity burden, access to healthcare, and characteristics of treating healthcare facilities.
We performed a nationwide study of United States Medicare beneficiaries from 2017 to 2019. We identified hospitalized patients with severe sepsis and patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation, tracheostomy, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) through Diagnosis Related Groups (DRGs). We estimated the association between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, measured by the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and 30-day mortality and unplanned readmission using logistic regression models with restricted cubic splines. We sequentially adjusted for demographics, individual poverty, and medical comorbidities, access to healthcare services; and characteristics of treating healthcare facilities.
A total of 1,526,405 admissions were included in the mortality analysis and 1,354,548 were included in the readmission analysis. After full adjustment, 30-day mortality for patients was higher for those from most-deprived neighborhoods (ADI 100) compared to least deprived neighborhoods (ADI 1) for patients with severe sepsis (OR 1.35 95% CI 1.29-1.42) or with prolonged mechanical ventilation with or without sepsis (OR 1.42 95% CI 1.31, 1.54). This association was linear and dose dependent. However, neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation was not associated with 30-day unplanned readmission for patients with severe sepsis and was inversely associated with readmission for patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation with or without sepsis.
A strong association between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation and 30-day mortality for critically ill patients is not explained by differences in individual poverty, demographics, measured baseline medical risk, access to healthcare resources, or characteristics of treating hospitals.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and costly problem among older persons. The frequency of AF increases with age, but representative national data about incidence and prevalence are limited. We ...examined the annual incidence, prevalence, and mortality associated with AF among older persons.
In a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older diagnosed with AF between 1993 and 2007, we measured annual age- and sex-adjusted incidence and prevalence of AF and mortality following an AF diagnosis. Among 433,123 patients with incident AF, the mean age was 80 years, 55% were women, and 92% were white. The incidence of AF remained steady during the 14-year study period, ranging from 27.3 to 28.3 per 1000 person-years. Incidence rates were consistently higher among men and white beneficiaries. The prevalence of AF increased across the study period (mean, 5% per year) and was robust to sensitivity analyses. Among beneficiaries with incident AF in 2007, 36% had heart failure, 84% had hypertension, 30% had cerebrovascular disease, and 8% had dementia. Mortality after AF diagnosis declined slightly over time but remained high. In 2007, the age- and sex-adjusted mortality rates were 11% at 30 days and 25% at 1 year.
Among older Medicare beneficiaries, incident AF is common and has remained relatively stable for more than a decade. Incident AF is associated with significant comorbidity and mortality; death occurs in one-quarter of beneficiaries within 1 year.
Changes in the demographics and epidemiology of patients with cardiovascular comorbidities who undergo major noncardiac surgery require an updated assessment of which patients are at greater risk of ...mortality or readmission. The authors evaluated short-term outcomes among patients with heart failure, coronary artery disease (CAD), or neither who underwent major noncardiac surgery.
Patients were aged 65 and older, had Medicare fee-for-service coverage, and underwent 1 of 13 major noncardiac procedures from 2000 through 2004, excluding patients with end-stage renal disease and patients who did not have at least 1 yr of Medicare fee-for-service eligibility before surgery. Main outcome measures were operative mortality and 30-day all-cause readmission.
Of 159,327 procedures, 18% were performed in patients with heart failure and 34% were performed in patients with CAD. Adjusted hazard ratios of mortality and readmission for patients with heart failure, compared with patients with neither heart failure nor CAD, were 1.63 (95% confidence interval, 1.52-1.74) and 1.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.45-1.58), respectively. Adjusted hazard ratios of mortality and readmission for patients with CAD, compared with patients with neither heart failure nor CAD, were 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.16) and 1.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.12-1.20), respectively. These effects were statistically significant. Patients with heart failure were at significantly higher risk for both outcomes compared with patients with CAD.
Elderly patients with heart failure who undergo major surgical procedures have substantially higher risks of operative mortality and hospital readmission than other patients, including those with coronary disease, admitted for the same procedures. Improvements in perioperative care are needed for the growing population of patients with heart failure undergoing major noncardiac surgery.
Little is known about the long-term outcomes in elderly survivors of in-hospital cardiac arrest. We determined rates of long-term survival and readmission among survivors of in-hospital cardiac ...arrest and examined whether these outcomes differed according to demographic characteristics and neurologic status at discharge.
We linked data from a national registry of inpatient cardiac arrests with Medicare files and identified 6972 adults, 65 years of age or older, who were discharged from the hospital after surviving an in-hospital cardiac arrest between 2000 and 2008. Predictors of 1-year survival and of readmission to the hospital were examined.
One year after hospital discharge, 58.5% of the patients were alive, and 34.4% had not been readmitted to the hospital. The risk-adjusted rate of 1-year survival was lower among older patients than among younger patients (63.7%, 58.6%, and 49.7% among patients 65 to 74, 75 to 84, and ≥85 years of age, respectively; P<0.001), among men than among women (58.6% vs. 60.9%, P=0.03), and among black patients than among white patients (52.5% vs. 60.4%, P=0.001). The risk-adjusted rate of 1-year survival was 72.8% among patients with mild or no neurologic disability at discharge, as compared with 61.1% among patients with moderate neurologic disability, 42.2% among those with severe neurologic disability, and 10.2% among those in a coma or vegetative state (P<0.001 for all comparisons). Moreover, 1-year readmission rates were higher among patients who were black, those who were women, and those who had substantial neurologic disability (P<0.05 for all comparisons). These differences in survival and readmission rates persisted at 2 years. At 3 years, the rate of survival among survivors of in-hospital cardiac arrest was similar to that of patients who had been hospitalized with heart failure and were discharged alive (43.5% and 44.9%, respectively; risk ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.95 to 1.02; P=0.35).
Among elderly survivors of in-hospital cardiac arrest, nearly 60% were alive at 1 year, and the rate of 3-year survival was similar to that among patients with heart failure. Survival and readmission rates differed according to the demographic characteristics of the patients and neurologic status at discharge. (Funded by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.).
Aldosterone antagonist therapy for heart failure and reduced ejection fraction has been highly efficacious in randomized trials. However, questions remain regarding the effectiveness and safety of ...the therapy in clinical practice.
To examine the clinical effectiveness of newly initiated aldosterone antagonist therapy among older patients hospitalized with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.
Using clinical registry data linked to Medicare claims from 2005 through 2010, we examined outcomes of eligible patients hospitalized with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. We used Cox proportional hazards models and inverse-weighted estimates of the probability of treatment to adjust for treatment selection bias.
All-cause mortality, cardiovascular readmission, and heart failure readmission at 3 years, and hyperkalemia readmission at 30 days and 1 year.
Among 5887 patients who met the inclusion criteria, the mean age was 77.6 years; of those 1070 (18.2%) started aldosterone antagonist therapy at discharge. Cumulative incidence rates among treated and untreated patients were 49.9% vs 51.2% (P = .62) for mortality; 63.8% vs 63.9% (P = .65) for cardiovascular readmission; and 38.7% vs 44.9% (P < .001) for heart failure readmission at 3 years; and 2.9% vs 1.2% (P < .001) for hyperkalemia readmission within 30 days and 8.9% vs 6.3% (P = .002) within 1 year. After inverse weighting for the probability of treatment, there were no significant differences in mortality (hazard ratio HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.96-1.14; P = .32) and cardiovascular readmission (HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.91-1.09; P = .94). Heart failure readmission was lower among treated patients at 3 years (HR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.77-0.98; P = .02). Readmission associated with hyperkalemia was higher with aldosterone antagonist therapy at 30 days (HR, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.51-4.29; P < .001) and 1 year (HR, 1.50; 95% CI, 1.23-1.84; P < .001).
Initiation of aldosterone antagonist therapy at hospital discharge was not independently associated with improved mortality or cardiovascular readmission but was associated with improved heart failure readmission among eligible older patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. There was a significant increase in the risk of readmission with hyperkalemia, predominantly within 30 days after discharge.
Atrial fibrillation increases the risks of stroke, heart failure, and death, and anticoagulation therapy increases the risk of gastrointestinal haemorrhage. However, the relative event rates for ...these outcomes are not well described. We sought to define the risks of major clinical events in older adults after a new diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.
We undertook a population-based, retrospective cohort study of a nationally representative sample of fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries 65 years or older with incident atrial fibrillation diagnosed between 1999 and 2007. The main outcome measures were mortality and hospitalization or emergency department care for heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, or gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Among 186 461 patients with atrial fibrillation and no recent hospitalizations for heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, or gastrointestinal haemorrhage, mortality was the most frequent of these major clinical events (19.5% at 1 year; 48.8% at 5 years). By 5 years, 13.7% of patients were hospitalized for heart failure, 7.1% developed new-onset stroke, and 5.7% had gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Myocardial infarction was less frequent (3.9% at 5 years). Rates of mortality, heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, and gastrointestinal bleeding increased with older age and higher CHADS2 scores. Among 44 479 patients with previous events, the 5-year risk of death was greatest among patients with recent bleeding events (70.1%) and stroke (63.7%) and lowest among those with recent myocardial infarction (54.9%).
After the diagnosis of incident atrial fibrillation in older adults, mortality was the most frequent major outcome during the first 5 years. Among non-fatal cardiovascular events, heart failure was the most common event.
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