Trends in Heart Failure Hospitalizations in the US from 2008 to 2018.

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) is a major driver of healthcare costs in the United States and is increasing in prevalence. There is a paucity of contemporary data examining trends among HF hospitalizations, specifically comparing HF with reduced and preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF and HFpEF, respectively). Methods and Results Using the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), we identified 11,692,995 hospitalizations for HF. Hospitalizations increased from 1,060,540 in 2008 to 1,270,360 in 2018. Over time, the median age of patients hospitalized for HF decreased from 76.0 to 73.0 years (p Conclusions HF hospitalization volume has increased over time and across EF subgroups. The demographics of HF, HFrEF, and HFpEF have become more diverse over time, and hospital inpatient costs have decreased regardless of HF type. Inpatient mortality improved for overall HF and HFpEF admissions but remained stable for HFrEF admissions. Lay Summary From 2008 to 2018, admissions for heart failure in the US have increased overall and for both types of heart failure, with preserved and reduced ejection fraction (HFpEF and HFrEF). Total hospitalization costs have decreased overall and as well as for both HFpEF and HFrEF admissions, while length of stay was relatively stable over time for all groups. Death during hospitalizations for heart failure decreased over time overall and for those with HFpEF but remained stable for HFrEF admissions.