Influenza Immunization for Inpatients with Advanced Heart Failure: Is it Beneficial?

Clinical Takeaway

: In a prospective, controlled study, patients who were vaccinated before discharge from hospitalization for acute heart failure had fewer all-cause deaths and hospital readmissions.

Context

The CDC’s Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics have long recommended that clinicians offer influenza immunization during hospitalizations in the winter season. These recommendations were based on practical considerations, safety data, and retrospective observational studies. Now, researchers have examined these vaccinations in a prospective, pragmatic, open-label trial.

The study involved 196 hospitals in China, which were cluster-randomized to provide either influenza immunization before discharge or usual care to 7771 adults admitted with New York Heart Association class III or class IV heart failure. Randomization was repeated for three winter seasons. The primary outcome was a…

Reviewing Author

Richard Ellison III, MD

Disclosures

Consult/Advisory BoardAcurx Pharmaceuticals, LLC;

Grant/Research SupportDoctors Company Foundation, Massachusetts Department of Public Health