Body Weight Measurement for Adjusting Diuretics Is Not Associated With Hospitalization and Mortality of Heart Failure Patients Under Home Medical Care

Abstract

Introduction:The post-discharge readmission rate for heart failure (HF) is high. Although some previous studies have shown the efficacy of clinic-based patient education of regular weighing in preventing readmission; however, none of these studies were conducted in home care settings.Methods: This retrospective observational study aimed to assess whether using body weight as an indicator for treating HF with diuretics reduced hospitalization and mortality in home medical care settings. We included 70 patients diagnosed with HF who were treated with diuretics in home medical care. Seventeen patients were in the body weight measurement group, and 53 were in the control group. The primary outcome was the time of the first hospitalization or death due to any cause. The secondary outcome was the time to first hospitalization or death due to HF.Results: The crude hazard ratio (HR) for the primary outcome was 0.59 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.33-1.1]. The crude HR for the secondary outcome was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.46-1.95). After adjusting for confounding factors, the results were found to be consistent. Conclusion: Body weight measurement for treating HF was not associated with reduced hospitalization and mortality in medical care settings. Hence, physicians need other appropriate indicators.