Utilization of Transthoracic Echocardiography Is Associated with a Decreased 6-month Readmission Rate in Hospitalized Heart Failure: A Propensity Score-matched Analysis

Objective: Repeated hospitalization due to congestion is a characteristic of the whole course of heart failure. Echocardiography can be used to assess cardiac function and volume status. However, whether echocardiography can reduce the rehospitalization rate remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) use on readmission rates in hospitalized patients with heart failure. Methods: The study was based on the Zigong heart failure database, which contained information on 2,008 adult patients with heart failure admitted to the Zigong Fourth People’s Hospital (Sichuan Province, China) from December 2016 to June 2019. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the usage of TTE on the day of hospital admission (TTE group (1,371 patients) and no TTE group (637 patients), respectively). The primary outcome was the 6-month readmission rate. The statistical approaches used included multivariate Cox regression, propensity score analysis, and an inverse probability weighting model to ensure the robustness of the findings. Results: A significant reduction in 6-month readmission rate was observed among the TTE group compared with the no TTE group (hazard ratio = 0.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.52–0.69, P < 0.001). The frequencies of intravenous nitrates, diuretics, and inotropes during hospitalization were significantly higher in the TTE group compared with those in the no TTE group (10.9% vs. 8.3%, 88.5% vs. 86.2%, and 66.9% vs. 65.6%, respectively, all P < 0.001). The proportion of patients returning to the emergency department within 6 months was significantly lower in the TTE group compared with the no TTE group (35.6% vs. 50.3%, P < 0.001). Conclusions: Utilization of TEE on admission day was associated with a reduced 6-month readmission rate in hospitalized patients with heart failure.