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Comparison of Outcomes of Illicit Drug Users and Nonusers Hospitalized With Heart Failure
The American Journal of Cardiology, 08/10/2012
Clinical Article
Slim AM et al. – The results of the present study have demonstrated that illicit drug use (IDU) was associated with a decreased interval to readmission for heart failure (HF) and greater HF readmission rates.
Methods- A retrospective cohort study was conducted that included all patients admitted with HF from June 2003 to September 2004 and followed up until 2008 at a university hospital serving an at–risk population.
- The patients were divided into 2 groups: IDU and non–IDU according to self–reported use or positive laboratory results.
- The outcome measures were in–hospital mortality, HF readmission rate, interval to readmission for HF, and average brain natriuretic peptide and troponin levels throughout the follow–up period.
- Of 646 reviewed records, 542, representing 357 patients, were included in the present analysis.
- Of the 357 patients, 53 patients were in the IDU group and 304 were in the non–IDU group.
- Kaplan–Meier log–rank analysis and Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that IDU was associated with a shorter interval to readmission for HF (hazard ratio 3.8, 95% confidence interval 2.3 to 10.7, p <0.0001) but not with in–hospital mortality (hazard ratio 0.7, 95% confidence interval 0.3 to 1.7, p = 0.4).
- Multiple linear regression analysis identified IDU as an independent variable for the HF readmission rate (p = 0.0001) but not for average brain natriuretic peptide or average troponin levels.