RT Journal Article
T1 Delay in cardiology consultation after primary care physician referrals in heart failure: Clinical implications
A1 Cinza Sanjurjo, Sergio
A1 Cordero, Alberto
A1 Mazón-Ramos, Pilar
A1 Rey-Aldana, Daniel
A1 Otero García, Óscar
A1 Gómez-Otero, Inés
A1 Portela Romero, Manuel
A1 García-Vega, David
A1 González Juanatey, José Ramón
K1 Ambulatory healthcare
K1 Gender differences
K1 Heart failure
K1 Primary care referral
AB AimsTo investigate the association between the elapsed time to cardiology care following a primary care physician (PCP) referral and 1 year outcomes among patients with heart failure (HF).MethodsData from electronic medical records at our institution encompassing all PCP referrals to cardiology consultation from 2010 to 2021 (N = 68 518) were analysed. Of these, 6379 patients had a prior diagnosis of HF. Using a Cox regression model for hospitalization and mortality outcomes, the association between delay time in cardiology care post-PCP referral and 1 year outcomes was examined, adjusting for age, gender and comorbidities.ResultsA significant increase in 1 year mortality rates with delayed cardiology care was observed for each day: all-cause (0.25%), cardiovascular (CV) (0.13%) and HF (0.11%). In multivariate analysis, continuous delay to consultation was independently associated with higher risk of all-cause [hazard ratio (HR): 1.02; 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.01–1.02); P < 0.01], CV [1.01 (1.00–1.02); P < 0.01] and HF mortality (HR: 1.01; 95% CI 1.00–1.03; P < 0.01). Patients attended in the 25th quartile of time delay (<2 days) had significantly lower mortality and HF readmission rates [1.21 (1.10–1.33); P < 0.01] as compared with patients in the 75th quartile (>14 days).ConclusionsDelay in cardiology assistance following a PCP referral among patients previously diagnosed with HF was associated with increased in all-cause, CV, and HF mortality at 1 year.
PB Wiley
YR 2024
FD 2024-10-17
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39685
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10347/39685
LA eng
NO Cinza-Sanjurjo, S., Cordero, A., Mazón-Ramos, P., Rey-Aldana, D., Otero García, O., Gómez-Otero, I., Portela Romero, M., Garcia-Vega, D., and González-Juanatey, J. R. (2025) Delay in cardiology consultation after primary care physician referrals in heart failure: Clinical implications. ESC Heart Failure, 12: 573–581. https://doi.org/10.1002/ehf2.15101
NO Research grant from the Spanish Society of Cardiology (SEC/FEC-INV-CLI 20/026).
DS Minerva
RD 30 abr 2026