Abstract
AIMS: Heart failure (HF) readmissions with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are increasing in the elderly, which is a major socioeconomic problem. We investigated the clinical impact of HF readmissions (HFR) on octogenarians with HFpEF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We enrolled consecutive octogenarians (≥80 years old) from June 2016 to February 2020 in PURSUIT-HFpEF registry. We divided them into HFR group readmitted for HF during the follow-up period and non-HF readmission (non-HFR) group. We evaluated the impact of HFR on all-cause mortality, cardiac death, and quality of life (QOL). Additionally, we evaluated the factors at discharge correlated with HFR. HFR group comprised 116 patients (21.4%). Among all-cause deaths, 40 patients suffered cardiac deaths (48.2%). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a similar prognosis between HFR and non-HFR groups as well as similar incidences of HF deaths. The QOL scores had significantly deteriorated by 1 year later in the HFR group (0.71 ± 0.19 vs. 0.59 ± 0.21, P < 0.001), while it was similar at 1 year in the non-HFR group. In the multivariate analysis, diabetes mellitus (DM) (P = 0.019), N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-pro BNP) levels ≥ 1611 pg/mL (P < 0.001), and serum albumin level ≤ 3.7 g/dL (P = 0.011) were useful markers for HFR in octogenarians. CONCLUSIONS: In octogenarians with HFpEF, HF readmission was not directly correlated with the prognosis but was well correlated with the QOL. Close follow-up is essential to decrease HFR of octogenarians with HFpEF with DM, high NT-pro BNP (≥1611 pg/mL) and low albumin (≤3.7 g/dL) levels at discharge.