In the context of hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF), patients’ characteristics and outcome depending on the department of management (cardiologic or cardiogeriatric) are unknown. The aims of this study were to determine the profile and the outcome (rehospitalizations at 90 days) of patients hospitalized for HF in the Val de Marne area, a district in the suburbs of Paris, depending on whether they were hospitalized in cardiology or in a specific cardiogeriatric centre; and to analyze the modes and the precipitating factors triggering rehospitalizations in the two type of centre.

We conducted the ICREX-94 observatory within seven French cardiologic departments and three specific cardiogeriatric departments in the Val de Marne district, France.

308 patients were hospitalized for AHF between October 2017 and January 2019. During the 3 months following discharge, 52 (17%) patients were rehospitalized for AHF. Compared with patients hospitalized in cardiogeriatric centre, patients from cardiologic department were younger (P<0.001), with better autonomy (living less often alone or in institution) (P<0.001), less often depressive (P<0.001), with less often major neurocognitive disorder (P<0.001), had worse Human Development Index (HDI, P<0.001), and had more frequent amyloidosis diagnosed (P<0.001). There was no difference for the outcome whether patients were discharged from a cardiologic or a cardiogeriatric centre. The more frequent precipitating factors underlying AHF decompensation between the first and second hospitalization were an arrhythmia, infection and very severe patients.

Compared to cardiogeriatric centres, AHF patients discharged from cardiologic centers had clinical differences, but we found that they had the same prognosis regarding AHF rehospitalization at 90 days.