Outcomes after hospital admission for heart failure are likely affected by cultural and ethnic factors. We obtained data from a large health system in Southeast Michigan on all patients admitted for heart failure from 2008 to 2015. Middle Eastern patients were identified through self-identification and a surname algorithm. Multivariate linear, logistic, and Cox regression models were used to evaluate length of stay and readmission rates compared to Caucasian patients. Mortality data was collected from the National Death Index. 7,784 white and 642 Middle Eastern patients were identified. Middle Eastern patients were younger, had higher rates of comorbid conditions, and had a greater mean hospital length of stay (7.96 vs 7.03 days, p = 0.015). Middle Eastern patients had similar thirty-day hospital readmission risk (4.25% vs 4.47%, p = 0.370) but greater ninety-day readmission risk (9.01% vs 8.35%, p = 0.043); after controlling for covariates these differences were not significant. Middle Eastern patients had lower mortality risk (HR = 0.79, p = 0.003). After a hospital admission for heart failure, Middle Eastern patients had longer hospital lengths of stay, similar risk of hospital readmission, but lower all-cause mortality.
Keywords: Arab American; Heart failure; Middle Eastern; Mortality; Readmission.
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