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In selected heart-failure patients evaluated at tertiary referral centers in clinical trials, post-hospitalization prognosis has been quite good. Compared with unselected heart-failure patients in the community, however, selected trial subjects tend to be younger (<65 on average) and to have fewer comorbidities. These researchers retrospectively analyzed data from 38,702 consecutive patients with first-time admissions for heart failure in Ontario, Canada, from April 1994 to March 1997.
Of these unselected patients, 85% were 65 or older, and 58% were 75 or older. Overall mortality rates were 12% at 30 days and 33% at 1 year. Higher mortality was associated independently with male sex and independently and progressively with older age and with…