Outcomes among heart failure patients hospitalized for acute pulmonary embolism and COVID‐19 infection: Insight from the National Inpatient Sample

There is paucity of data regarding the outcomes of hospitalized acute pulmonary embolism (PE) patients with heart failure (HF) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) infection. We utilized the 2020 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) Database in conducting a retrospective cohort study to investigate the outcomes of hospitalized acute PE patients with HF and COVID‐19, looking at its impact on in‐hospital mortality, thrombolysis, and thrombectomy utilization as well as hospital length of stay (LOS). A total of 23,413 hospitalized acute PE patients with HF were identified in our study, of which 1.26% (n = 295/23,413) had COVID‐19 infection. Utilizing a stepwise survey multivariable logistic regression model that adjusted for confounders, COVID‐19 infection among acute PE patients with HF was found to be an independent predictor of overall in‐hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.15–6.67; p = 0.023) and thrombolysis utilization (aOR: 5.52; 95% CI, 2.57–11.84; p ≤ 0.001) compared to those without COVID‐19. However, there were comparable rates of thrombectomy utilization and LOS among acute PE patients with HF regardless of the COVID‐19 infection status. On subgroup analysis, patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction was found to be associated with increased risk for in‐hospital mortality (aOR: 3.89; 95% CI, 1.33–11.39; p = 0.013) and thrombectomy utilization (aOR: 4.58; 95% CI, 1.08–19.41; p = 0.042), whereas both HF subtypes were associated with increased thrombolysis utilization. COVID‐19 infection among acute PE patients with HF was associated with higher over‐all in‐hospital mortality and increased thrombolysis utilization but had comparable hospital LOS as well as thrombectomy utilization.