Elevation in systolic blood pressure during heart failure hospitalization is associated with increased short and long-term mortality

The relationship between systolic blood pressure (SBP) change during hospitalization of patients with heart failure (HF) and clinical outcomes has never been thoroughly investigated. A total of 3393 patients hospitalized with HF, from 25 hospitals in Israel, were enrolled. The SBP change was calculated by subtracting the discharge SBP values from the admission values and then divided into quartiles of SBP change. We compared the group with upper quartile SBP change to the lower 3 quartiles of change. Both groups had largely similar demographics and clinical characteristics. All-cause mortality rate was 24% at 1-year and 82.6% at 10-years, whereas patients in the upper SBP change group had significantly higher cumulative mortality probability at 1-year (30% vs 22%; log-rank P <0.001), and at 10-years (86% vs 82%; log-rank P <0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis adjusted for comorbidities demonstrated that patients in the upper SBP change quartile have an independent 17% higher mortality risk at 10-years [hazard ratio (HR) 1.17; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08–1.28]. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that mortality risk was more pronounced in patients with preserved ejection fraction and in the subgroup with admission SBP ≥140 mm Hg. SBP change is significantly associated with 1- and 10-year all-cause mortality, as an increased SBP change is associated with worse prognosis. We believe that this readily available marker might facilitate risk stratification of patients and possibly improve care.