Data from: Outcomes of systolic heart failure patients presenting with sepsis to the emergency department of a tertiary hospital: a retrospective chart review study from Lebanon

Objectives: Congestive heart failure (CHF) patients may be at a higher risk of mortality from sepsis than patients without CHF due to insufficient cardiovascular reserves during systemic infections. . The aim of this study is to compare sepsis-related mortality between CHF and non-CHF patients in patients presenting to a tertiary medical center. Design: A single centre, retrospective, cohort study. Setting: Conducted in an academic ED between January 2010 and January 2015. Patients’ charts were queried via the hospital’s electronic system. Patients with a diagnosis of sepsis were included. Descriptive analysis was performed on the demographics, characteristics, and outcomes of septic patients of the study population. Participants: A total of 174 patients, of which 87 (50%) were CHF patients. Primary and secondary outcomes: The primary outcome of the study was in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included intensive care unit (ICU), and hospital lengths of stay, and differences in interventions between the two groups. Results: CHF patients had a higher in-hospital mortality (57.5% vs 34.5%). Septic CHF patients had higher odds of death as compared to the control population (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.22-4.88). Secondary analyses showed that CHF patients had lower instances of bacteremia upon presentation to the ED (31.8% vs 46.4%). They had less IV fluid requirements in first 24 hours (2.75 ± 2.28 L vs 3.67 ± 2.82 L, p-value=0.038), had a higher rate of intubation in the ED (24.2% vs 10.6%, p-value=0.025) and required more dobutamine in the first 24 hours (16.1% vs 1.1%, p-value