06 Feb Risk of Rehospitalization After Cardiac Admission Remain Elevated For Protracted Period
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Kumar Dharmarajan MD MBA
Section of Cardiovascular Medicine
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Dr. Dharmarajan: We know that patients are at high risk for rehospitalization and death in the month after hospital discharge. Yet little is known about how these risks dynamically change over time for the full year after hospitalization. This information is needed for patients and hospitals to set realistic goals and plan for appropriate care.
We found that the risk of rehospitalization and death decline slowly following hospitalization and remain elevated for many months. We also found that specific risk trajectories vary by discharge diagnosis and outcome. For example, risk remains elevated for a longer period of time following hospitalization for heart failure compared with hospitalization for acute myocardial infarction. For all 3 conditions we studied (heart failure, heart attacks, and pneumonia), risk of rehospitalization remained elevated for a longer period of time than the risk of death.
Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?
Dr. Dharmarajan: Patients should remain vigilant for deterioration in health for an extended time after hospitalization. Health providers can use knowledge of absolute risks and their changes over time to better align interventions designed to reduce adverse outcomes after hospitalization with the highest risk periods for patients.
Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?
Dr. Dharmarajan: We will need to understand what other factors impact long-term trajectories of risk after hospitalization besides the admitting condition. We will also need to figure out how to integrate this information into care plans to make them more efficient and effective.
Citation:
Trajectories of risk after hospitalization for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, or pneumonia: retrospective cohort study
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MedicalResearch.com Interview with:, & Kumar Dharmarajan MD MBA (2015). Risk of Rehospitalization After Cardiac Admission Remain Elevated For Protracted Period MedicalResearch.com
Last Updated on February 6, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD