Prevalence and seasonal variation of precipitants of heart failure hospitalization and risk of readmission

Abstract Aims To determine the prevalence and seasonal variation in precipitants of heart failure (HF) hospitalization and the risk of subsequent HF hospitalizations. Methods We analysed the characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized with HF and enrolled in the Management of Cardiac Failure program in Sydney, Australia. Potential precipitants of HF hospitalization were identified, and Cox-regression analyses performed according to the precipitant. Results Among 6918 patients hospitalized with HF, 5384 (78%) had identified one or more precipitating factors leading to the hospitalization and 3648 (53%) had a single identifiable precipitant. Most precipitants were due to one or more of five prespecified causes - infection (n = 2014), ischemia (n = 1781), arrhythmia (n = 1724), medication related (n = 925) and diet non-compliance (n = 408). All precipitants were more common during winter (p  Conclusion The precipitant of HF hospitalization influences the risk and precipitant of subsequent HF hospitalizations. Identifying and targeting interventions towards the precipitating factor may be an important strategy to prevent future HF hospitalizations.