Abstract

Introduction and objectives: Acute heart failure (AHF) is the leading cardiovascular cause of hospitalization and remains associated with high mortality and rehospitalization rates. Contemporary real-world data from cardiology departments are scarce. We aimed to identify admission characteristics associated with one-year outcomes in patients hospitalized with AHF. Methods: RECYLICA is a prospective, multicentre, regional registry including consecutive patients admitted with AHF to cardiology departments across 10 hospitals over a one-year period. Patients were followed for 12 months. The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause mortality or heart failure (HF) rehospitalization. Results: A total of 602 patients were included (37.0% women; mean age 72.6 ± 12.0 years), of whom 47.4% had heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). During follow-up, 83 patients (13.8%) died and 105 (17.4%) were rehospitalized because of HF. Independent predictors of the primary endpoint were elevated admission N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), atrial fibrillation (AF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), previous HF, prior implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) implantation, and higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Among patients with HFrEF, less comprehensive implementation of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) at discharge was associated with significantly worse outcomes. Conclusions: In patients hospitalized with AHF, prognosis is primarily determined by comorbidity burden, admission NT-proBNP levels, previous HF, and LVEF. Among patients with HFrEF, more comprehensive implementation of GDMT at discharge was associated with improved clinical outcomes, supporting early optimization of evidence-based therapy during hospitalization.

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