title: Clinical characteristics and short-term outcome of patients admitted with heart failure in Belgium: results from the BIO-HF registry.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure (HF) is associated with poor outcome. As specific data for Belgium are currently not available, the aim of the Belgian BIO-HF registry is to evaluate the clinical characteristics, in-hospital mortality and outcomes after discharge of patients hospitalized for acute HF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This is a prospective observational cohort study conducted in 2 Belgian hospitals. For the current analysis, the first 904 patients who were enrolled between 2008 and 2012 were selected for assessment of clinical characteristics and short-term outcome (all-cause mortality and all-cause mortality+ rehospitalization 3 months after discharge). Mean age of patients was 77 years (51% > or = 80 years), 44% were women and 64% had an eGFR < 60 ml/min/m2. Mean LVEF was 42% with only 40% with LVEF < or = 35%, 20% with LVEF between 36 and 49% and 40% with LVEF 50%. In-hospital mortality was 7.1% with a mortality of 22% in the subgroup of patients with a creatinine > or =2 mg/dl and systolic blood pressure < or = 110 mmHg on admission. Three months after discharge, the all-cause mortality rate was 7.6% and the all-cause mortality or hospitalization for HF 18.3%. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed eGFR, COPD, absence of beta blockers and atrial fibrillation at discharge (all P<0.05) as independent predictors of all-cause mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this Belgian registry of mainly elderly patients admitted with acute HF, a relatively preserved EF and a reduced kidney function were present in the majority of patients. In-hospital and short-term mortality after discharge remain high and are mainly related to the presence of comorbidities such as renal failure and COPD. Comorbidities should be the focus for future efforts to improve the dire outcome of these patients.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Sutter
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pardaens
authors.forename: Tjorven
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Audenaert
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weytjens
authors.forename: Barbara Vande
authors.initials: BV
authors.lastname: Kerckhove
authors.forename: Rn Anne-marie
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Willems
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Laet
authors.forename: Guy
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Van Camp
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume