Simple clinical variables are markers of the propensity for readmission in patients hospitalized with heart failure.

In a consecutive cohort of patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure, we found that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and history of hospitalization for any cause in the preceding 6 months were the strongest correlates of early readmission. Based on these findings, we propose a simple risk stratification system to classify patients who are hospitalized for heart failure as low, medium, or high risk for early readmission.