Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized with heart failure by ICD-9 palliative care status
| Variable | Palliative Care by ICD-9 V66.7 (n=50) | Matched (n=50) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (SD)a | 64.62 (10.51) | 64.81 (9.82) | 0.59 |
| Male, n (%)a | 50 (100) | 50 (100) | -- |
| Race, n (%)a | 0.89 | ||
| Black | 33 (66) | 33 (66) | -- |
| White | 12 (24) | 12 (24) | -- |
| Hispanic | 5 (10) | 5 (10) | -- |
| Fiscal year of study dischargea | 0.49 | ||
| 2003 | 0 | 1 | -- |
| 2004 | 2 | 0 | -- |
| 2005 | 2 | 4 | -- |
| 2006 | 1 | 2 | -- |
| 2006 | 5 | 4 | -- |
| 2008 | 6 | 3 | -- |
| 2009 | 7 | 10 | -- |
| 2010 | 6 | 3 | -- |
| 2011 | 5 | 11 | -- |
| 2012 | 16 | 12 | -- |
| Seen by palliative care consultation service | 45 (90) | 8 (16) | -- |
| Primary claim diagnosis code of heart failure for hospitalization, n (%) | 18 (36) | 11 (22) | 0.21 |
| Comorbidities, n (%) | |||
| Hypertension | 45 (90) | 48 (96) | 0.26 |
| Coronary artery disease | 38 (76) | 36 (72) | 0.66 |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 25 (50) | 26 (52) | 0.86 |
| Anemia | 21 (42) | 32 (64) | 0.05 |
| Chronic renal failure | 21 (42) | 28 (56) | 0.16 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 21 (42) | 26 (52) | 0.34 |
| Acute renal failure | 18 (36) | 29 (58) | 0.02 |
| Depression | 18 (36) | 20 (40) | 0.70 |
| Drug abuse | 18 (36) | 13 (26) | 0.20 |
| Hepatitis C | 16 (32) | 17 (34) | 0.78 |
| HIV, n (%) | 14 (28) | 24 (48) | 0.06 |
| VACS Index, median (IQR)b,c | 59 (40 – 75) | 51 (43 – 79) | 0.35 |
| ICU admission during index hospitalizationa | 7 (14) | 7 (14) | -- |
| Hospital length of stay in days, mean (SD)a | 8.06 (7.01) | 7.72 (7.53) | 0.22 |
SD = standard deviation, IQR = interquartile range;
a
Matching criteria, site of care not included;
b
Calculated from lab values collected closest to the day of hospital admission and up to six months prior;
c
Missing 8% of palliative care and 14% of matches