Regional Differences in Heart Failure Hospitalizations, Mortality, and Readmissions in Slovenia 2004–2012

AIMS: Heart failure (HF) burden is displaying significant inter-regional differences within Europe and within countries. Due to limited data focusing on regional differences, our aim was to evaluate HF hospitalizations, readmissions, and mortality burden in Slovenian statistical regions. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Slovenian National Hospitalization Discharge Registry was searched for HF hospitalizations in patients 20 years or over in the period 2004-12. Annual sex and age-standardized HF hospitalizations, mortality, and HF readmissions rates were calculated for Slovenia and for each Slovenian statistical region. Trends were evaluated using ANOVA. Multiple mixed effect logistic regression models, which included statistical region, admission year, sex, age, intensive care unit treatment, and co-morbidities as a fixed effect and hospital identifier as a random effect, were calculated for mortality and readmissions. Overall, 156 859 HF hospitalizations (55 522 where HF was coded as a main diagnosis and 43 606 as first HF hospitalizations) were recorded. Annual standardized rates varied considerably between statistical regions for main (220-511) and first HF hospitalization (392-721), 30 day (12.6-27.1) and 1 year mortality (66-117), and 30 day (31-80.8) and 1 year readmission (99-24) (per 100 000 patient years in 2012). Yearly decline in HF hospitalization rates was seen for national main (3.6; 0.001) and first (8.4; 0.083) HF hospitalizations, while individual regional main and first HF hospitalization trends mostly did not reach statistical significance. No relevant differences in mortality and readmission endpoints for statistical regions were seen when adjusted for patient demographics and specific co-morbidities. CONCLUSIONS: Significant regional differences in standardized HF hospitalization, mortality, and readmissions between the regions were seen. There were no differences in mortality and readmissions between statistical regions for individual similar patients.