CRUSH STUDY: Calculating Readmission Risk by Ultrasound for Heart Failure Failure Study

Heart failure (HF) resulting in congestion is the leading cause for admission in persons ≥65
years of age and 20-25% of such patients are readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Efforts
to treat HF are difficult without a simple method to detect early signs of congestion to
direct therapy. Ultrasound can detect evidence of congestion by increased cardiac filling
pressures two weeks prior to other markers of congestion such as weight gain or patient
symptoms. Corrected flow time (FTc) measured by ultrasound, is an easy to perform vascular
measure and correlates with cardiac filling pressures. Despite the relationship between FTc
and filling pressures, this measure has never been studied in HF. The primary aim is to
determine if FTc can predict patients at risk of readmission within 30 days. As a secondary
aim, the investigators plan to validate a small study of patients reporting the ability of
pulmonary ultrasound to predict readmissions. This study demonstrated pulmonary ultrasound
was 100% sensitive and 68% specific for predicting readmission at 3 months, however this
investigation was small and validation is needed. It is expected ultrasound will be able to
accurately and safely predict patients who will be readmitted within 30 days of discharge.
This proposal is aimed at identifying a noninvasive measure to better assess congestion from
HF and predict readmissions.

Inclusion Criteria:

- English Speaking

- Being admitted for heart failure with expected hospital stay of 72 hours

Exclusion Criteria:

- Unable to provide consent