Clinical and financial impact of sleep disordered breathing on heart failure admissions

The impact of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) on heart failure (HF) is increasingly recognized. However, limited data exist in support of quantification of the clinical and financial impact of SDB on HF hospitalizations.

A sleep-heart registry included all patients who underwent inpatient sleep testing during hospitalization for HF at a single cardiac center. Readmission data and actual costs of readmissions were obtained from the institutional honest broker. Patients were classified based on the inpatient sleep study as having no SDB, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), or central sleep apnea (CSA). Cumulative cardiac readmission rates and costs through 3 and 6 months post-discharge were calculated. Unadjusted and adjusted (age, sex, body mass index, and left ventricular ejection fraction) modeling of cost was performed.

The cohort consisted of 1547 patients, 393 (25%) had no SDB, 438 (28%) had CSA, and 716 (46%) had OSA. Within 6 months of discharge, 195 CSA patients (45%), 264 OSA patients (37%), and 109 no SDB patients (28%) required cardiovascular readmissions. Similarly, 3- and 6-month mortality rates were higher in both SDB groups than those with no SDB. Both unadjusted and adjusted readmission costs were higher in the OSA and CSA groups compared to no SDB group at 3 and 6 months post-discharge with the CSA and OSA group costs nearly double (~ $16,000) the no SDB group (~ $9000) through 6 months.

Previously undiagnosed OSA and CSA are common in patients hospitalized with HF and are associated with increased readmissions rate and mortality.