Prognostic Impact of Physician Specialty on the Prognosis of Outpatients With Heart Failure: Propensity Matched Analysis of the REDINSCOR and RICA Registries

Introduction and objectives: The specialty treating patients with heart failure (HF) has a prognostic impact in the hospital setting but this issue remains under debate in the ambulatory environment. We aimed to compare the clinical profile and outcomes of outpatients with HF treated by cardiologists or internists.

Methods: We analyzed the clinical, electrocardiogram, laboratory, and echocardiographic data of 2 prospective multicenter Spanish cohorts of outpatients with HF treated by cardiologists (REDINSCOR, n=2150) or by internists (RICA, n=1396). Propensity score matching analysis was used to test the influence of physician specialty on outcome.

Results: Cardiologist-treated patients were often men, were younger, and had ischemic etiology and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Patients followed up by internists were predominantly women, were older, and a higher percentage had preserved LVEF and associated comorbidities. The 9-month mortality was lower in the REDINSCOR cohort (11.6% vs 16.9%; P<.001), but the 9-month HF-readmission rates were similar (15.7% vs 16.9%; P=.349). The propensity matching analysis selected 558 pairs of comparable patients and continued to show significantly lower 9-month mortality in the cardiology cohort (12.0% vs 18.8%; RR, 0.64; 95% confidence interval [95%CI], 0.48-0.85; P=.002), with no relevant differences in the 9-month HF-readmission rate (18.1% vs 17.2%; RR, 0.95; 95%CI, 0.74-1.22; P=.695).

Conclusions: Age, sex, LVEF and comorbidities were major determinants of specialty-related referral in HF outpatients. An in-depth propensity matched analysis showed significantly lower 9-month mortality in the cardiologist cohort.