Costs and factors associated with heart failure following kidney transplantation – a single‐center retrospective cohort study

The number of adults with heart failure (HF) will increase by ~50% between 2012 and 2030. Among kidney transplant recipients, HF accounts for 16% of all post-transplant admissions. We describe the burden of HF and predictors of healthcare utilization following kidney transplantation. We retrospectively identified adults who underwent kidney transplantation at our institution (01/2007-12/2017). Data were acquired from electronic health records, with healthcare utilization obtained from a statewide database. The HF incidence rate and prevalence were estimated for each year, total charges for HF and non-HF patients were compared, and logistic regression was employed for a 3-year predictive model of healthcare utilization associated with HF. Among 1731 kidney transplant recipients, the post-transplant HF incidence rate ranged from 1.91 (year 3) to 6.80 (year 10) per 100 person-years, while the prevalence increased from 31.7% (year 1) to 48.1% (year 10). Median charges were $75 837 (HF) compared to $42 940 (non-HF) per person-year (P < 0.001). Pretransplant HF [odds ratio (OR) = 3.12] and an eGFR < 45 (OR = 4.73) were the strongest predictors of HF encounters (P < 0.05 for both). We observed a high and increasing prevalence of HF, which was associated with twice the costs. Kidney transplant recipients would benefit from interventions aimed at mitigating HF risk factors.