Right Heart Catheterization in Cardiogenic Shock Is Associated With Improved Outcomes: Insights From the Nationwide Readmissions Database

BACKGROUND: The usefulness of right heart catherization (RHC) has long been debated, and thus, we aimed to study the real‐world impact of the use of RHC in cardiogenic shock. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the Nationwide Readmissions Database using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD‐1 0), we identified 236 156 patient hospitalizations with cardiogenic shock between 2016 and 2017. We sought to evaluate the impact of RHC during index hospitalization on management strategies, complications, and outcomes as well as on 30‐day readmission rate. A total 25 840 patients (9.6%) received RHC on index admission. The RHC group had significantly more comorbidities compared with the non‐RHC group. During the index admission, the RHC group had lower death (25.8% versus 39.5%, P<0.001) and stroke rates (3.1% versus 3.4%, P<0.001). Thirty‐day readmission rates (18.7% versus 19.7%, P=0.04) and death on readmission (7.9% versus 9.3%, P=0.03) were also lower in the RHC group. After adjustment, RHC was associated with lower index admission mortality (odds ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.66–0.72), lower stroke rate (odds ratio, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.72–0.90), lower 30‐day readmission (odds ratio, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.78–0.88), and higher left ventricular assist device implantations/orthotopic heart transplants (odds ratio, 6.05; 95% CI, 4.43–8.28) during rehospitalization. Results were not meaningfully different after excluding patients with cardiac arrest. CONCLUSIONS: RHC use in cardiogenic shock is associated with improved outcomes and increased use of downstream advanced heart failure therapies. Further blinded randomized studies are required to confirm our findings.