ArticleFirst plasma glucose value after urgent admission and in-hospital mortality in acutely decompensated heart failure

•The first ED plasma glucose predicted in-hospital mortality in heart failure.•Plasma glucose values helped identify non-diabetic higher risk patients.•Plasma glucose values helped identify non-diabetic higher risk patients.

BackgroundWe used data from three <250-bed hospitals to test how plasma glucose (PG) values influenced in-hospital mortality (IHM) in acute heart failure in people without diabetes.Methods and resultsWe identified 788 HF admissions (62% female; median age 83.3 years). 20.9% had chronic kidney disease, 7.7% cancer history, 24.7% acute renal failure and 29.7% concomitant infection. Mean first PG was 124.3 ± 32.4 mg/dl; 22.7% had stress hyperglycemia. Fifty-six people died (IHM = 7.1%). Women, older patients and people with infections showed higher PG values. People who died had higher PG values (136.3 ± 43.9 vs. 123.4 ± 31.2 mg/dl; p = 0.029). In a multivariate regression model with IHM as main outcome, the first PG (per mg/dl, odds ratio (OR): 1.01 [1.00-1.02]; p = 0.045), age (per year, OR: 1.06 [1.02-1.10]; p = 0.003) and acute renal failure (OR: 0.42 [0.24-0.74]; p = 0.003) remained significantly associated with IHM.ConclusionsThe first PG value predicted IHM in participants without diabetes after admission for heart failure.