Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. X:X | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2025.017

Treatment and survival of patients with heart failure: An updated analysis from the Czech National Healthcare Database

Josef Danek1, Jiri Jarkovsky2, Klara Benesova2, Milos Taborsky3
1 Department of Medicine, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Military University Hospital Prague, U Vojenske nemocnice 1200, 169 02, Prague 6, Czech Republic
2 Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic, Palackeho nam. 4, P.O. BOX 60, 128 01 Prague 2, Czech Republic
3 Department of Internal Medicine I - Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc, I. P. Pavlova 6, 775 20 Olomouc, Czech Republic

Background: Heart failure (HF) remains a major global health challenge. Despite advancements in treatment, the prevalence of HF continues to rise. This study provides an updated analysis of HF incidence, prevalence, hospitalizations, and mortality trends in the Czech Republic from 2015 to 2023.

Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted using anonymized data from the Czech National Healthcare Reimbursement Database (NRHZS). Patients diagnosed with HF (ICD-10 codes I50.x) were included. Descriptive statistics and trend analyses were used to analyse the data.

Results: The prevalence of HF has increased significantly, with 374,837 patients registered in 2023. The age-specific prevalence was highest in patients aged 75-79 years (25.1%). The incidence of HF remained stable (51,701 cases in 2023), while hospitalizations declined slightly. The mortality rate showed a minor decrease, with in-hospital mortality stabilizing at ~10% over the past decade. The use of modern HF pharmacotherapy, including SGLT2 inhibitors and ARNIs, has increased substantially over time.

Conclusions: Despite improvements in HF management, the burden on the healthcare system remains high. Enhanced outpatient care and adherence to guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) are essential for further reducing hospitalizations and improving patient outcomes.

Keywords: heart failure, epidemiology, mortality, hospitalization, pharmacotherapy, Czech Republic

Received: March 14, 2025; Revised: May 5, 2025; Accepted: May 20, 2025; Prepublished online: June 2, 2025 

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