Background: Readmission to hospital after discharge has been recognized as a significant problem in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). No studies report rate of early readmission (defined as readmission within 30 days after discharge) and its predictors among Thai patients with CHF.

Objective: To determine rate and predictors of early readmission among Thai patients with heart failure.

Material and Method: From an electronic medical database of a tertiary care hospital in Thailand, we retrieved data of all patients who were hospitalized with a principal diagnosis of CHF between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2006. Patients were followed whether they were readmitted within 30 days after discharge.

Results: Seven hundred eighteen patients were included for analysis. Studied patients were mostly female (57.52%) with mean age of 64.91 + 14.14 (SD) years. The median length of hospital stay (LOS) was five days. One hundred one patients (14.07%) had their first readmission from all causes within 30 days after discharge. An exacerbation of CHF was the most common cause. In a multivariate model, only the LOS >5 days predict higher risk of early readmission (adjusted OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.05-1.89, p = 0.023). No significant association between discharge medications and early readmission was found in the present study.

Conclusion: Early readmission rates appear modest among Thai patients with CHF. The LOS > 5 days was a positive predictor of early readmission while discharge cardiovascular medications were not associated with early readmission.

Keywords: Heart failure, Quality indicators, Quality of care, Readmission, Rehospitalization