Michael W. Rich, MD

Two new studies provide much food for thought concerning the use of statins for the prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI).

Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization among Medicare beneficiaries, and it is the most costly diagnosis-related group by a factor of 2.

Over a period of 14 years, we followed 282 patients aged 70 years or older who were hospitalized with heart failure. Median survival was 2.5 years, but 25% of patients died within 1 year, and 25% survived for at least 5 years following hospital discharge. A simple 7-item risk score based on data readily available at the time of hospitalization effectively stratified patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk categories for subsequent mortality.