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. 2025 Jun 20:qcaf044.
doi: 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcaf044. Online ahead of print.

Current epidemiology and management of acute heart failure: the multicenter prospective OFICA2 cohort

Benjamin Alos  1 , Claire Bouleti  1 , Damien Legallois  2 , Clement Riocreux  3 , Jerome Costa  4 , Etienne Puymirat  5 , Jean-Noel Trochu  6 , Guillaume Turlotte  7 , Julie Perrin-Faurie  8 , Teodora Dutoiu  9 , François Picard  10 , Gregory Ducrocq  11 , Pascal de Groote  12 , Thierry Laperche  13 , Clement Delmas  14 , Ariel Cohen  15 , Maxime Doublet  16 , Damien Logeart  17
Affiliations

Current epidemiology and management of acute heart failure: the multicenter prospective OFICA2 cohort

Benjamin Alos et al. Eur Heart J Qual Care Clin Outcomes. .

Abstract

Aim: Acute heart failure (AHF) represents a major cause of morbi-mortality. In the last decade, the management of HF has changed, but up-to-date real-life data are scarce. The aim of our study was to describe contemporary data about AHF patients' medical pathway, management and to identify predictors of in-hospital outcomes.

Methods: OFICA2 is a French prospective multicenter cohort led from March to April 2021 in 80 participating centers. In-hospital outcomes were defined as a composite of all-cause death, cardiogenic shock or transfer to intensive care unit.

Results: A total of 1513 consecutive patients (mean age 76 years, 61% male) hospitalized for AHF were included. One in five patients were not admitted in cardiology wards. A triggering factor was identified in 70% of cases, mostly supraventricular arrhythmia (21%). Median hospital stay was 11 days, and in-hospital mortality was 4.6%. Predictive factors of worse outcomes were a younger age, an initial acute coronary syndrome, a ventricular arrhythmia, a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 40%, a lower systolic blood pressure, a worse kidney function, and a higher C-reactive protein level on admission. At discharge, 61% of patients had an appointment scheduled with a cardiologist, 1 out of 4 patients with LVEF ≤ 40% had a combination of betablocker, renin-angiotensin system blocker and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, while 12% had no HF medication.

Conclusions: This comprehensive survey about patients hospitalized with AHF emphasizes HF care pathway, medical therapies and follow-up as weak spots. Filling these gaps might improve patients' management and prognosis.

Keywords: acute heart failure; epidemiology; medical pathway; triggering factor.

Plain language summary

This paper reports the entire out- and in-hospital journey of patients with Acute Heart Failure (AHF), in a large prospective multicenter database. The OFICA2 cohort included 1513 patients hospitalized for AHF in 80 participating centers during a 3-week period in 2021. A unique aspect of this cohort is the inclusion of all AHF patients, including those not hospitalized in cardiology wards, with an interdisciplinary care pathway. The OFICA2 survey provides robust contemporary data on AHF management, including the medical pathway, in-hospital resource use, and prognosis. These results will enhance knowledge on AHF epidemiology and management.

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