Long‐term outcomes after heart failure hospitalization during the COVID‐19 pandemic: a multisite report from heart failure referral centers in London

AIMS: Patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) had worse in‐hospital outcomes during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, their long‐term outcomes are unknown. We describe long‐term outcomes among patients who survived to hospital discharge compared with patients hospitalized in 2019 from two referral centers in London during the COVID‐19 pandemic. METHODS AND RESULTS: In total, 512 patients who survived their hospitalization for acute HF in two South London referral centers between 7 January and 14 June 2020 were included in the study and compared with 725 patients from the corresponding period in 2019. The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality. The demographic characteristics of patients admitted in 2020 were similar to the 2019 cohort. Median (IQR) follow‐up was 622 (348–691) days. All‐cause mortality after discharge remained significantly higher for patients admitted in 2020 compared with the equivalent period in 2019 (P < 0.01), which may relate to observed differences in place of care with fewer patients being managed on specialist cardiology wards during the COVID‐19 pandemic. CONCLUSION: Hospitalization for HF during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic was associated with higher all‐cause mortality among patients who survived to discharge. Further studies are necessary to identify predictors of these adverse outcomes to improve outpatient management during a critical period in the management of acute HF.