title: Temporal Trends and Factors Associated With Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral Among Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure: Findings From Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure Registry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current guidelines recommend cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in medically stable outpatients with heart failure (HF); however, temporal trends and factors associated with CR referral among these patients in real-world practice are not entirely known.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess proportional use, temporal trends, and factors associated with CR referral at discharge among patients admitted with decompensated HF.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using data from a national Get With the Guidelines-Heart Failure registry, we assessed the temporal trends in CR referral among eligible patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) at discharge after HF hospitalization between 2005 and 2014. On multivariable analysis, we also assessed patient- and hospital-level characteristics that are associated with CR referral.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 105,619 HF patients (48% with HFrEF, 52% with HFpEF), 10.4% (12.2% with HFrEF, 8.8% with HFpEF) received CR referral at discharge. A significant increase in CR referral rates was observed among both HFpEF and HFrEF patients over the study period (ptrend <0.0001 for HFrEF, HFpEF, and overall). Compared with patients discharged without CR referral, patients referred for CR were younger, predominantly men, and more likely to receive evidence-based HF therapies at discharge. On multivariable analysis, younger age, fewer comorbid conditions, and in-hospital procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, and cardiac valve surgery were most strongly associated with CR referral.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Only one-tenth of eligible HF patients received CR referral at discharge after hospitalization for HF. The proportional use of CR referral is increasing over time among both HFrEF and HFpEF patients. Further strategies to improve physician and patient awareness in regard to the benefit of CR should be used to increase CR referral among patients with HF.
authors: University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors: Harsh
authors: H
authors: Golwala
authors: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas.
authors: Ambarish
authors: A
authors: Pandey
authors: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Ju
authors: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.
authors: Javed
authors: J
authors: Butler
authors: Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois.
authors: Clyde
authors: C
authors: Yancy
authors: Brigham and Women's Hospital Heart & Vascular Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Deepak L
authors: DL
authors: Bhatt
authors: Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.
authors: Adrian F
authors: AF
authors: Hernandez
authors: Ronald Reagan-UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: gfonarow@mednet.ucla.edu.
authors: Gregg C
authors: GC
authors: Fonarow
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D012042:Registries
keywords: comorbidities; preserved ejection fraction; reduced ejection fraction; referral patterns