A recent study found that discharging heart failure patients before noon was independently associated with higher all-cause mortality in both the short and long term.
The study, published Oct. 9 in AJMC, examined records from 14,469 patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure at 17 U.S. hospitals across four states. Patients were admitted between January 2010 and December 2022, and followed until May 2023.
Researchers compared all-cause readmission and mortality in patients discharged before noon (between midnight and noon) or after noon (between noon and midnight).
Those discharged before noon had higher mortality than those discharged after noon. At seven days follow-up, mortality was 2.6% compared to 1.3% for those discharged after noon. At 30 days, it was 8.9% versus 5.2%, and at three years it was 50.6% versus 41.4%.
Patients discharged before noon also had higher readmission rates at seven days with 8.3% versus 6.4%. However, readmission rates were similar to the post-noon discharge group at 30 days and three years.
These findings could hold implications for discharge policies at hospitals, the study authors wrote.
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