Characteristics of Patients Hospitalized With Methamphetamine-Associated Heart Failure: A Comparative Study of Enrolled vs Nonenrolled Patients.
Shirin O Hiatt, S Albert Camacho, Christopher S Lee and 6 others
PMID 39704559WHAT IT FOUND
Hospitalized patients with methamphetamine-associated heart failure were younger, more often male and urban, had more non-ischemic reduced ejection fraction, and had more emergency department visits.
Key findings
01Patients with methamphetamine-associated heart failure were significantly younger, more often male, and more often urban dwelling than patients with non-methamphetamine heart failure; about 37% were over 55 years, compared with roughly 63% of non-methamphetamine patients.
02Patients with methamphetamine-associated heart failure had significantly more non-ischemic reduced ejection fraction phenotypes, frequently reported concurrent substance use including tobacco 72%, alcohol 40%, cannabis 33%, cocaine 17%, and heroin 7%, and 29% reported unstable housing or homelessness.
03Patients with methamphetamine-associated heart failure had significantly more emergency department visits than patients with non-methamphetamine heart failure, although prior hospital admissions were not significantly different.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The methamphetamine-associated heart failure group was characterized from screening forms, while the comparator group came from enrolled patients with survey and medical-record baseline data, so the two groups were not assessed in exactly the same way. The study used screening data and therefore provided only a broad description; it did not measure amount, frequency, or duration of methamphetamine use. Race and ethnicity data were missing for 7% overall and 13% in the methamphetamine-associated group, and New York Heart Association class was missing for 46% of methamphetamine-associated patients and 20% of non-methamphetamine patients. The sample was predominantly white, limiting understanding across racial groups. The analysis describes characteristics only; it does not show that methamphetamine caused heart failure, nor does it test treatment outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The paper is listed as supported by NIH extramural research.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that methamphetamine caused heart failure or that any specific nursing or medical treatment improves outcomes. The study only compares characteristics of hospitalized patients with methamphetamine-associated heart failure and patients with non-methamphetamine heart failure.