Frailty syndrome and rehospitalizations in elderly heart failure patients.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) patients with frailty syndrome (FS) are at higher risk of falling, decreased mobility, ability to perform the basic activities of daily living, frequent hospitalizations, and death.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlations between FS and hospital readmissions, and to assess which factors are associated with rehospitalizations.

METHODS: The study included 330 patients with a mean age of 72.1 ± 7.9 years, diagnosed with HF. Frailty was measured using the Polish version of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI). Demographic, sociodemographic, and clinical data, such as the New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, ejection fraction (EF), number of rehospitalizations, and the medications taken, were obtained.

RESULTS: Positive correlation was observed between the number of hospitalizations and FS. In the single-factor correlation analysis, treatment with diuretics, a higher NYHA class, and a lower left ventricular EF were predictors of a higher number of hospitalizations. Additionally, the physical and psychological components of the TFI, as well as the total TFI score, predisposed HF patients to more frequent hospitalizations.

DISCUSSION: It seems that a deterioration of functional capabilities and an increase in symptom severity naturally lead to increased hospitalization frequency in HF. In the own study, regression analysis indicates that high NYHA classes and TFI social component scores are significant predictors of the number of hospitalizations in the studied group.

CONCLUSIONS: FS is highly prevalent among elderly HF patients. Higher frailty levels in elderly patients are a determinant of more frequent rehospitalizations in HF.