Abstract 15623: Arrhythmia Burden and Associated Outcomes Among Patients With Myelodysplastic Syndromes

Background: Arrhythmias are an increasingly recognized comorbid condition among patients with cancers. However, there is little research on the relationship between conduction abnormalities and in-hospital outcomes in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This analysis explores the burden of cardiac arrhythmias and associated outcomes in hospitalized MDS patients. Methods: Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2017 to 2019 was used. MDS-associated hospitalizations with concurrent arrhythmia were identified using appropriate ICD-10 CM codes and compared to MDS-associated hospitalizations without arrhythmia. Primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital length of stay and total costs. Results: About 21% (n=4065) of MDS patients were diagnosed with an arrhythmia. Atrial tachycardias were most common (87%). Frequency of bradyarrhythmias, ventricular tachycardias, and unspecified arrhythmias were 10.7%, 10.4%, and 0.8%, respectively. The MDS-arrhythmia cohort were significantly older (78 vs 71 years), had higher number of comorbidities (>3 Charlson Comorbidity Index score: 45.5% vs 30%), and were more likely men (57.8% vs 52.7%) (P < 0.001). The MDS-arrhythmia cohort demonstrated higher all-cause mortality (10.6% vs. 5%) and had increased odds of in-hospital death after adjusting for sociodemographic and hospital level factors (AOR 2.2, 95% CI 1.59-2.91) (P < .001). Hospital length of stay (8.5 vs. 8.0 days) and hospital charges ($104267 vs. $105654) were similar across both groups. Conclusions: Concurrent arrhythmias were associated with worse survival outcomes for patients with MDS. Understanding the mortality associated with arrhythmias in MDS patients may have clinical implications when planning treatment options in which cardiotoxicity is an adverse event. Awareness of the frequency and risk factors for arrhythmias in MDS patients may encourage the early introduction of cardiac monitoring for arrhythmias in hospitalized patients with MDS.