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Cutoff Value of Phase Angle by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis at Admission as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Heart Failure
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Cutoff Value of Phase Angle by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis at Admission as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Heart Failure

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Using the LACE index to predict hospital readmissions in congestive heart failure patients

Hao Wang1, Richard D Robinson, Carlos Johnson

  • 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Integrative Emergency Service, John Peter Smith Health Network, 1500 S, Main St, 76104 Fort Worth, TX, USA. hwang01@jpshealth.org.

BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
|August 8, 2014
PubMed

Insights

The LACE index may not accurately predict 30-day hospital readmissions for congestive heart failure (CHF) patients. However, a high LACE score may identify patients at increased risk for emergency department revisits post-discharge.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Health Services Research
  • Geriatrics

Background:

  • The LACE index is a tool to predict 30-day unplanned hospital readmissions.
  • Its accuracy in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients requires validation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To validate the predictive accuracy of the LACE index for 30-day unplanned readmissions in CHF patients.
  • To identify clinical variables associated with readmission risk in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective study of 253 CHF patients.
  • Calculated LACE index scores and collected clinical data.
  • Used multivariate logistic regression and C-statistic to analyze readmission risk.

Main Results:

  • 24.50% of patients experienced unplanned readmission within 30 days.
  • LACE index scores were similar between readmitted and non-readmitted patients.
  • Previous ED visits, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease history predicted readmission.
  • High LACE scores (≥10) correlated with higher 30-day ED revisit rates (15.04% vs. 0%).

Conclusions:

  • The LACE index demonstrated limited accuracy in predicting 30-day unplanned readmissions for CHF patients.
  • The LACE index may serve as a useful screening tool for identifying patients at high risk of emergency department revisits after hospital discharge.
Abstract

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