Aims Efforts are constantly made to decrease the rates of readmission after acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). ADHF admissions to internal medicine departments (IMD) were previously associated with higher risk for readmission compared with those admitted to cardiology departments (CD). It is unknown if the earlier still applies after recent advancement in care over the last decade. This contemporary cohort compares characteristics and outcomes of ADHF patients admitted to IMD with those admitted to CD. Methods and results The data for this single‐centre, retrospective study utilized a cohort of 8332 ADHF patients admitted between 2007 and 2017. We compared patients' baseline characteristics and clinical and laboratory indices of patients admitted to CD and IMD with the outcome defined as 30 day readmission rate. In comparison with those admitted to CD, patients admitted to IMD (89.5% of patients) were older (79 [70–86] vs. 69 [60–78] years; P < 0.001) and had a higher incidence of co‐morbidities and a higher ejection fraction. Readmission rates at 30 days were significantly lower in patients admitted to CD (15.9% vs. 19.6%; P = 0.01). Conflicting results of three statistical models failed to associate between the admitting department and 30 day readmission (odds ratio for 30 day readmission in CD: forced and backward stepwise logistic regression 0.8, 95% confidence interval 0.65–0.97, P = 0.02; stabilized inverse probability weights model odds ratio 1.0, confidence interval 0.75–1.37, P = 0.96). Conclusions This contemporary analysis of ADHF patient cohort demonstrates significant differences in the characteristics and outcomes of patients admitted to IMD and CD. Thus, focusing strategies for readmission prevention in patients admitted to IMD may be beneficial.

Background Marriage is one of the common forms of social support. Conflicting evidence exists about the impact of marital status on the outcomes of patients with acute coronary syndrome ( ACS ). It is further not clear if sex disparity exists in the outcome of married and nonmarried patients with ACS. Methods and Results Data from the ACS Israeli Survey, collected between 2004 and 2016, were used to compare baseline characteristics, clinical indexes, and outcomes of married and nonmarried patients with ACS. Cox regression analysis and propensity score matching were used to explore if marital status was independently associated with long‐term outcome. Of 7233 patients included with reported marital status, 5643 (78%) were married. Married patients were younger (62.69±12.07 versus 68.47±14.84 years; P <0.001), more frequently men (83.1% versus 54.8%; P <0.001), and less likely to be hypertensive (61.1% versus 69.3%; P <0.001). All‐cause mortality incidence at 30 days and at 1 year was lower in married patients (3.1% versus 7.6% [ P <0.001]; and 7.1% versus 15.3% [ P <0.001], respectively). After adjusting for multiple covariates, the hazard ratio for 5‐year all‐cause mortality for married patients was 0.74 (95% CI , 0.62–0.88). Similar results were observed after propensity score matching. Kaplan‐Meier estimates for all‐cause mortality at 5 years demonstrated the best prognosis for married men and the worst for nonmarried women. Conclusions Marriage is independently associated with better short‐ and long‐term outcomes across the spectrum of ACS . Attempts to intensify secondary prevention measures should focus on nonmarried patients and especially nonmarried women.

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