Incidence and Prognostic Implications of Readmissions Caused by Thrombotic Events After a Heart Failure Hospitalization

Background Readmission occurs in 1 out of 3 patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to study the incidence and prognostic implications of rehospitalizations because of arterial thromboembolism events (ATEs) and venous thromboembolism events (VTEs) after discharge in patients with HF. Methods and Results We identified Medicare beneficiaries who were admitted with a primary diagnosis of HF from 2014 to 2019, with a hospital stay ranging between 3 and10 days, followed by discharge to home. We calculated incidence of ATEs (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or systemic embolism) and VTEs (deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) up to 90 days after discharge. Out of 2 953 299 patients admitted with HF during the study period, a total of 585 353 patients met the inclusion criteria, and 36.6% were readmitted within 90 days of discharge. The incidence of readmission due ATEs, VTEs, HF, and all other reasons was 3.4%, 0.5%, 13.2%, and 19.5%, respectively. Incidence of thromboembolic events was highest within 14 days after discharge. Factors associated with ATEs included prior coronary, peripheral, or cerebrovascular disease and for VTEs included malignancy and prior liver or lung disease. ATE/VTE readmission had a 30‐day mortality of 19.9%. After a median follow‐up period of 25.6 months, ATE and VTE readmissions were associated with higher risk of mortality (hazard ratio, 2.76 [95% CI, 2.71–2.81] and 2.17 [95% CI, 2.08–2.27], respectively; P<0.001 for both) compared with no readmission on time‐dependent Cox regression. Conclusions After a HF hospitalization, 3.9% of patients were readmitted with a thromboembolic event that was associated with 2‐ to 3‐fold greater risk of mortality in follow‐up.