Congestive heart failure with preserved systolic function in a statewide sample of community hospitals

The importance of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with preserved left ventricular systolic function is increasingly recognized, but most studies have been conducted at a single, usually academic, medical center. The aim of this study was to determine the prognosis, readmission rate, and effect of ACE inhibitor therapy in a Medicare cohort with CHF and preserved systolic function.

We examined a statewide, random sample of 1,720 California Medicare patients hospitalized with an ICD-9 diagnosis of CHF confirmed by a decreased left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) or chest radiograph from July 1993 to June 1994 and January 1996 to June 1996. Among the 782 patients with confirmed CHF and an in-hospital left ventricular EF measurement, 45% had reduced systolic function (ReSF) (EF < 40%) and 55% had preserved systolic function (PrSF) (EF > 40%). The PrSF group had a lower 1-year mortality rate but similar hospital readmission rates for both CHF and all causes. In patients with ReSF, ACE inhibitor treatment was associated with a lower mortality rate (P =.04) and a trend toward a lower CHF readmission rate (P =.13). In contrast, ACE inhibition therapy was associated with neither a lower rate of mortality nor CHF readmission in PrSF patients (P =.61 and.12, respectively). In multivariate analyses treatment with ACE inhibitors in PrSF patients was not associated with either a reduction in mortality (hazard ratio, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.79-1.67) or CHF readmission (hazard ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.92-1.58).

CHF with PrSF seems to be associated with high mortality and morbidity rates, but ACE inhibitors may not produce comparable benefit in this group as in patients with ReSF.