The following is a summary of “In-hospital mortality of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in end-stage kidney disease. A retrospective national population-based cohort study,” published in the March 2023 issue of Nephrology by Ghimire, et al.

For a study, researchers sought to compare in-hospital mortality in admissions for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) based on the presence of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD).

The retrospective cohort study utilized data from the 2016-2019 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. HIT hospitalizations involving individuals aged 18 and older were included in the analysis.

Between 2016 and 2019, there were 12,161 admissions for HIT out of 28,484,087 hospitalizations. The annual incidence rate of HIT admissions per 100,000 admissions showed a decreasing trend over the years: 47, 46, 41.1, and 36.6, respectively (P < .001) in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. Among HIT admissions, the mean age was 64.3 years, 46.8% were females, 68% were Whites, and 16% were Blacks. Black patients had a significantly higher likelihood of in-hospital mortality than White patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.25; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.48; P = .007). In addition, patients without insurance or who were self-pay had a higher mortality rate than those with Medicare (aOR 1.64; 95% CI: 1.13, 2.38; P = .009). 

However, ESKD was not associated with higher or lower in-hospital mortality among HIT admissions (aOR 1.002; 95% CI: 0.84, 1.19; P = .981) after adjusting for age, sex, race, and insurance status.

The study found no significant difference in the odds of in-hospital mortality between HIT admissions with and without ESKD in adults. The incidence of HIT hospitalizations showed a decreasing trend from 2016 to 2019.

Reference: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nep.14138