Impact of different types of heart failure on coronavirus disease 2019 infection outcomes

Background Pre-existing cardiovascular disease has been associated with increased mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the impact of different types of heart failure in unvaccinated patients with COVID-19 infection has been understudied. Purpose In this study, we compare the in-hospital outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) against patients with COVID-19 and chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods This was a retrospective cohort study done by utilizing the 2020 National Inpatient Sample database. We identified patients admitted to the hospital with a principal diagnosis of COVID-19 infection and a secondary diagnosis of either chronic HFrEF or HFpEF. We conducted propensity score matching using a greedy nearest neighbor 1:1 model. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, hospital characteristics (bed size, location, region), health insurance and comorbidities was used to compare mortality. The comorbidities adjusted for included atrial fibrillation, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity, prior myocardial infarction and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The categorical and continuous variables were analyzed by Pearson’s chi-squared and Student t-test respectively. Results 12,518 patients met our inclusion criteria. Patients with COVID-19 infection and chronic HFrEF had 1.11 times higher odds of suffering in-hospital mortality compared to patients with COVID-19 infection and chronic HFpEF (aOR 1.11, 95% CI: 1.01-1.21; p = 0.03). When separated by race, there was no difference in mortality between our two cohorts (Figure 1). Patients with COVID-19 infection and chronic HFrEF were more likely to have acute hepatic failure (1.2% vs 0.6%, p < 0.001), ventricular tachycardia (6.7% vs 3.1%, p < 0.001) and ventricular fibrillation (0.6% vs 0.2%, p < 0.001), but less likely to have acute respiratory distress syndrome (5.0% vs 6.6%, p < 0.001, Table 1). In terms of comorbidities, patients with both COVID-19 and chronic HFrEF were more likely to have atrial fibrillation (22.8% vs 21.3%, p = 0.03) coronary artery disease (39.5% vs 35.1%, p < 0.001) and prior myocardial infarction (8.8% vs 6.4%, p < 0.001, Table 1). These patients also had shorter hospital stays (8.4 days vs 9.0 days, p < 0.001), but there was no difference in mean total hospital charges ($87,975.84 vs $88,715.96, p = 0.75, Table 1). Conclusion Patients with COVID-19 and chronic HFrEF had higher odds of suffering in-hospital mortality compared to patients with COVID-19 and chronic HFpEF. These patients were also more likely to have acute hepatic failure, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. Further studies should investigate how COVID-19 vaccination status influences the outcomes of this vulnerable population.