Seasonal variations in hospitalizations of heart failure patients: a United States nationwide analysis

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) remains a leading cause of hospitalization globally, exerting significant strain on healthcare systems and impacting patients' quality of life. Seasonal changes in climate and temperature are known to affect HF-related outcomes. This study investigates the seasonal variations in hospitalization outcomes among HF patients in the United States. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database, focusing on patients aged over 18 years with a primary diagnosis of HF from 2018 to 2020, using the ICD-10-CM codes. Our primary outcomes of interest included trends in clinical characteristics, inpatient mortality rates, and length of hospital stay (LOS). In addition, inflation-adjusted healthcare costs for each patient were also analyzed. Statistical analyses included weighted logistic…