Pain, Return to Community Status, and 90-Day Mortality Among Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure

Pain is common among patients with heart failure but has not been examined with short-term discharge outcomes. The purpose was to examine whether pain at discharge predicts return to community status and 90-day mortality among hospitalized patients with heart failure.

Data from medical records of 2169 patients hospitalized with heart failure were analyzed in this retrospective cohort study. The independent variable was a diagnosis of pain at discharge. Outcomes were return to community status (yes/no) and 90-day mortality. Logistic regression was used to address aims. Covariates included age, gender, race, vital signs, comorbid symptoms, comorbid conditions, cardiac devices, and length of stay.

The sample had a mean age of 66.53 years, and was 57.4% women and 55.9% Black. Of 2169 patients, 1601 (73.8%) returned to community, and 117 (5.4%) died at or before 90 days. Patients with pain returned to community less frequently (69.6%) compared with patients without pain (75.2%), which was a statistically significant relationship (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval, 0.57-0.97; P = .028). Other variables that predicted return to community status included age, comorbid conditions, dyspnea, fatigue, systolic blood pressure, and length of stay. Pain did not predict increased 90-day mortality. Variables that predicted mortality included age, liver disease, and systolic blood pressure.

Patients with pain were less likely to return to community but did not have higher 90-day mortality. Pain in combination with other symptoms and comorbid conditions may play a role in mortality if acute pain versus chronic pain can be stratified in a future study.