"comparative Analysis of Inpatient Outcomes: Decompensated Systolic Heart Failure (hfref) with and Without Iron Deficiency Anemia, Propensity-Matched Nationwide Study (2017-2021)."

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) affects approximately one-third of patients with systolic heart failure, yet comprehensive population-based analyses of its impact on in-hospital outcomes remain limited. This study seeks to examine how IDA influences in-hospital outcomes among individuals with decompensated systolic congestive heart failure (HFrEF). Methods: Using data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database spanning from 2017 to 2021, this study identified patients hospitalized for decompensated systolic congestive heart failure (HFrEF) with a secondary diagnosis of IDA using ICD-10 codes such as I5020-23 and D500, D501, D508, D509. Propensity score matching (PSM) was then employed to create cohorts without and with IDA at a 1:3 ratio. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to evaluate various outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, cardiogenic shock (CS), acute myocardial injury (AMI), cardiac arrest, ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular fibrillation (VF), length of stay (LOS), and total hospitalization charges. Furthermore, the utilization rate of mechanical ventilation and circulatory support, including intra-aortic balloon pump and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, was evaluated in both cohorts. Results: Among 253,034 HFrEF hospitalizations, 16,200 (6.4%) had a secondary diagnosis of IDA. After PSM, multivariate regression analyses revealed no significant differences in the odds of cardiogenic shock (10% vs. 10%, p=0.86), in-hospital mortality (2.6% vs. 2.8%, p=0.71), and LOS (7.19 vs. 7.27 days) between the two groups. Additionally, the likelihood of cardiac arrest, ventricular arrhythmias, AMI, and utilization of mechanical ventilation and circulatory support did not reach statistical significance. However, patients with IDA and HFrEF had higher hospitalization charges ($85,516 vs. $93,000). Conclusion: HFrEF patients, with or without IDA, had similar odds of cardiogenic shock, in-hospital mortality, mechanical circulatory support utilization, as well as LOS. However, IDA with HFrEF correlated with higher hospitalization charges.