What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cohort. Population: Heart failure (n=5883). Intervention: Index heart failure hospitalization. Primary outcome: Composite of death or HF rehospitalization at 5 years.

What question did this study set out to answer?

Assess long-term mortality and rehospitalizations in heart failure patients and identify independent predictors.

June 17, 2026Open Access

Long-term burden of heart failure: a population-based cohort study on mortality and rehospitalizations

LLLoreto LanciaUniversity of L'Aquila ADAngelo DanteUniversity of L'Aquila VCValeria CaponnettoUniversity of L'Aquila

Key Result

Among patients discharged alive after an index heart failure hospitalization, 69.4% experienced death or rehospitalization within 5 years, increasing to 85.4% by 9 years.

Key Points

Assess long-term mortality and rehospitalizations in heart failure patients and identify independent predictors.
Population-based retrospective cohort study conducted in L’Aquila, Italy.
Included 5,883 residents discharged after HF hospitalization from 2014 to 2022.
Event rates and predictors analyzed using Kaplan–Meier and multivariable Cox regression methods.
By 5 years, 69.4% of patients experienced death or rehospitalization, increasing to 85.4% by 9 years.
Nearly half of rehospitalizations occurred within the first year after discharge.
Factors associated with poorer outcomes include older age, male sex, longer initial hospital stay, and earlier discharge year.

Study Design

Type

Cohort (n=5,883)

Multicenter

Yes

Structured PICO

Population

5,883 adult patients discharged alive after an index heart failure hospitalization, with a median age of 82 years, followed for up to 9 years.

Outcome

Composite of heart failure rehospitalization or all-cause mortality evaluated at 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 5 years, and 9 yearscomposite

Heart failure poses a severe long-term burden, with nearly 70% of patients experiencing death or rehospitalization within 5 years of an index admission, underscoring the critical need for comprehensive post-discharge care.

Limitations

Use of routinely collected hospital discharge data limited access to detailed clinical information such as left ventricular ejection fraction, laboratory results, or pharmacological treatments
Could not stratify patients by HF phenotype or disease severity
4-year look-back period may not have been sufficient to completely exclude patients with a prior HF history
Lack of external validation may limit the generalizability

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a prevalent, progressive syndrome, and a leading cause of hospitalization, mortality, and healthcare expenditure worldwide, especially among older adults. This study aimed to assess the long-term burden of mortality, rehospitalizations and their composite among HF patients and to identify independent predictors of these outcomes. A population-based retrospective cohort study was conducted across all hospitals in the province of L’Aquila, Italy, including all residents discharged alive after an index HF hospitalization between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2022, with follow-up through 31 December 2023. Kaplan–Meier analysis estimated event rates at 30 days, 90 days, 1 year, 5 years and 9 years. Predictors of the 5-year composite outcome (death or rehospitalization) and rehospitalization frequency were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression and negative binomial models. A total of 5,883 patients were included. By 5 years, 69.4% had experienced the composite outcome, increasing to 85.4% by 9 years. Nearly half of the rehospitalizations occurred in the first year. Older age, male sex, longer initial hospital stay, and earlier discharge year were associated with poorer outcomes. HF poses a long-term burden, highlighting the need for ongoing care, in which nurses are central to improve outcomes and care quality.

اسأل الذكاء الاصطناعي

Bookmark

View Full Paper

Cite This Study

Lancia et al. (Tue,) conducted a cohort in Heart failure (n=5,883). Index heart failure hospitalization was evaluated on Composite of death or HF rehospitalization at 5 years. Among patients discharged alive after an index heart failure hospitalization, 69.4% experienced death or rehospitalization within 5 years, increasing to 85.4% by 9 years.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a32635b8b0a6d04ea8e6a3c https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-58191-w

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

اسأل الذكاء الاصطناعي

Bookmark

View Full Paper