Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a pregnancy-associated cause of heart failure. Given the significant impact of heart failure on healthcare, we sought to identify etiologies and predictive factors for readmission in PPCM. We queried the 2013 to 2014 National Readmissions Database to identify patients admitted with a diagnosis of PPCM. Patients who were readmitted within 30 days were evaluated to identify etiologies and predictors of readmission. We identified 6,977 index admissions with PPCM. Of the 6,880 (98.6%) patients who survived the index hospitalization, 30-day readmission rate was 13%. Seventy-six percent of readmitted patients were admitted once, and the other 24% were readmitted at least twice within 30 days of discharge. Length of stay was ≥8 days (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.08 to 3.77), multiparity (aOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.09 to 3.92), coronary artery disease (aOR 2.28, 95% CI 1.42 to 3.67), and long-term anticoagulation use (aOR 2.51, 95% CI 1.73 to 3.64) were independently associated with increased risk of 30-day readmission. Among the readmissions, 48% were due to cardiac causes, where PPCM and related complications (24%) were the most common cardiac cause followed by heart failure (16%). The annual cost of stay for index admissions was $64.2 million (average cost for index admission was $16,892). The annual charges attributed to readmission within 30 days were ≈$9 million. Cardiac etiologies were the most common cause for 30-day readmissions in PPCM patients, with a readmission rate of 13%. Long-term anticoagulation use, multiparity, coronary disease and length of stay predicted higher 30-day readmission.
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