In-hospital mortality trends among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in the United States between 2013-2017: a comparison of academic and non-academic programs

BACKGROUND: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating condition characterized by progressive lung function decline and early mortality. While early accurate diagnosis is essential for IPF treatment, data evaluating the impact of hospital academic status on IPF-related mortality remains limited. Here we examined in-hospital mortality trends for patients with IPF from 2013 to 2017. We hypothesized that in-hospital IPF mortality would be influenced by hospital academic setting. METHODS: Hospitalization data was extracted from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for subjects with an international classification of disease code for IPF. In-hospital mortality stratified by hospital setting (academic versus non-academic) was the primary outcome of interest, with secondary analyses performed for subgroups with and without respiratory failure and requiring mechanical ventilation. Predictors of mortality were then assessed. RESULTS: Among 93,680 patients with IPF requiring hospitalization, 58,450 (62.4%) were admitted to academic institutions. In-hospital mortality decreased significantly in those admitted to an academic hospital (p < 0.001) but remained unchanged in patients admitted to a non-academic hospital. A plateau in-hospital mortality was observed among all hospitalized patients (p = 0.12), with a significant decrease observed for patients with admitted respiratory failure (p < 0.001) and those placed on mechanic ventilation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In-hospital mortality decreased significantly for patients with IPF admitted to an academic hospital, suggesting that management strategies may differ by hospital setting. Mortality among those with respiratory failure and those requiring mechanical ventilation has dropped significantly. Our findings may underscore the importance of promoting early referral to an academic institution and adherence to international treatment guidelines. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-020-01328-y.