Readmit predictors for congenital heart disease are lesion specific

(HealthDay)—For adults with congenital heart disease, readmission is more likely among those with a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure, and predictors of readmission are lesion specific, according to a study published online Sept. 13 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.

Ari M. Cedars, M.D., from the Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, and colleagues conducted an analysis of admissions in patients aged over 18 years with International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision codes of 745 to 747. Variables thought to be associated with increased rates of one-year admission were selected and multivariable regression models were constructed to examine the relative contribution of variables to readmission risk. Data from 64,420 patients were included in the final analyses.

The researchers found that 39 percent of patients were readmitted within 12 months of the index admission. Patients who experienced a readmission were more likely to have had a primary diagnosis of congestive heart failure at the time of index admission than those who did not experience a readmission; congestive heart failure and arrhythmia were the most common diagnoses at the time of readmission. Lesion-specific heterogeneity was identified in risk factors for readmission.

"Patients with adult congenital heart disease have high rates of readmission, predominantly for congestive heart failure and arrhythmia," the authors write. "Predictors of readmission are lesion specific, and future strategies aimed at decreasing readmission rate will likely need to be individualized."

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