Thirty-Day Readmission Rates After Takotsubo Syndrome With or Without Malignancy: A Nationwide Readmissions Database Analysis

Abstract Background: Association of malignancy with readmission after TTS hospitalization has not been fully described. We sought to examine the rates, cause and cost of 30-day readmissions and 30-day all-cause mortality of Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) patients with or without malignancy. Methods: The Nationwide Readmissions Databases from 2010 to 2014 were queried to identify and compare baseline characteristics and outcomes of patients hospitalized for TTS with and without malignancy. Results: We identified 61,588 index hospitalizations for TTS. TTS patients with malignancy were older (70.6 ± 0.2 vs. 66.1 ± 0.1, p < 0.001), and the overall burden of comorbidities was higher than in those without malignancy. TTS patients with malignancy had significantly higher 30-day readmission rates than those without malignancy (15.9% vs. 11.0%; odds ratio [OR], 1.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18 - 1.56). Majority (75.5%) of the etiologies for readmissions were non-cardiac, with infection being most common (20.1%). The 30-day readmission rate due to the recurrent TTS was similar in both groups (0.4% and 0.5%, respectively; p = 0.47). Importantly, 30-day all-cause mortality was higher in TTS with vs. without malignancy (4.8% vs 2.5%; OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.25 - 2.10). The total costs (index admission + readmission) were higher by 25% (p < 0.001) in TTS patients with malignancy vs. without malignancy. Conclusions: In patients hospitalized with TTS, the presence of malignancy was associated with increased risk of 30-day readmission, mostly attributable to non-cardiac etiologies. Importantly, the 30-day all-cause mortality and cost were also significantly higher. These findings highlight the importance of optimization of treatment and follow up in patients with malignancy after hospitalizations for TTS.