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Readmission Rate in AHF Patients Discharged AMA
Mayo Clin Proc; ePub 2018 Jul 10; Patel, et al
A significantly higher 30-day readmission rate was observed among patients with acute heart failure (AHF) discharged against medical advice (AMA) when compared with patients routinely discharged, a recent study found. Researchers performed a retrospective analysis using the 2014 National Readmission Database. Patients admitted with a primary diagnosis of AHF were included and only those discharged to home and who left AMA were included in the study. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission. They found:
- 273,489 patients with AHF were identified, 116,869 qualified for further analysis.
- 2,014 (1.7%) patients were in the AMA group and 114,855 (98.3%) were in the routinely discharged group.
- 6,042 routinely discharged patients were matched with 2,014 patients from the AMA group.
- The 30-day readmission rate among those who left AMA was higher than among those routinely discharged (33% vs 20.1%).
- Heart failure (44.8%) was the most common cause of readmission in the AMA group.
Patel B, Prousi G, Shah M, et al. Thirty-day readmission rate in acute heart failure patients discharged against medical advice in a matched cohort study. [Published online ahead of print July 10, 2018]. Mayo Clin Proc. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.04.023.