Background Gout is a common comorbidity in heart failure (HF) patients and is frequently associated with acute exacerbations during treatment for decompensated HF. Although colchicine is often used to manage acute gout in HF patients, its impact on clinical outcomes when used during acute decompensated HF is unknown. Methods This was a single center, retrospective study of hospitalized patients treated for an acute HF exacerbation with and without acute gout flare between March 2011 and December 2020. We assessed clinical outcomes in patients treated with colchicine for a gout flare compared to those who did not experience a gout flare or receive colchicine. The primary outcome was in‐hospital all‐cause mortality. Results Among 1047 patient encounters for acute HF during the study period, there were 237 encounters (22.7%) where the patient also received colchicine for acute gout during admission. In‐hospital all‐cause mortality was significantly reduced in the colchicine group compared with the control group (2.1% vs. 6.5%, p = .009). The colchicine group had increased length of stay (9.93 vs. 7.96 days, p < .001) but no significant difference in 30‐day readmissions (21.5% vs. 19.5%, p = .495). In a Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, inpatient colchicine use was associated with improved survival to discharge (hazards ratio [HR] 0.163, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.051−0.525, p = .002) and a reduced rate of in‐hospital CV mortality (HR 0.184, 95% CI 0.044−0.770, p = .021). Conclusion Among patients with a HF exacerbation, treatment with colchicine for a gout flare was associated with significantly lower in‐hospital mortality compared with those not treated for acute gout.

Introduction: Gout is a common comorbidity in heart failure (HF) patients, and is often exacerbated by diuretic use. The impact of gout or the treatment of gout on HF outcomes is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess clinical outcomes in patients being treated for an acute HF exacerbation and receiving colchicine for an acute gout flare. Methods: This was a single center, retrospective cohort study of patients treated for an acute HF exacerbation from March 2011 to February 2020. The gout group included patients receiving colchicine for an acute gout flare during admission. The control group included those who did not receive colchicine for an acute gout flare. The primary outcome was 30-day readmission rate. Secondary outcomes included in-hospital mortality and length of stay. Results: In the cohort of 1,047 patients (68.8 +/- 13.7 years, 38% female), 237 patients received colchicine for acute gout during admission. Length of stay was significantly greater (9.93 days vs. 7.96 days, p < 0.0001) and in-hospital mortality was significantly lower (2.2% vs. 6.6%, p = 0.009) in patients with versus without gout. In a multivariate logistic regression model, in-hospital colchicine given for a gout flare was significantly associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (OR 0.322, 95% CI 0.105-0.779, p = 0.02) after adjustment for home beta blocker use, inotrope use, age, and diabetes mellitus (p < 0.05 for all in the model). The association between colchicine and survival to hospital discharge was only observed in patients who received colchicine during the hospitalization, as opposed to home use only. There was no significant difference in 30-day readmission rate based on gout status for patients surviving to hospital discharge (21.5% vs. 19.5%, p = 0.495). Conclusions: Among patients with an acute HF exacerbation, patients treated for an acute gout flare with colchicine had a greater length of stay and lower in-hospital mortality compared with those not having gout. Future analyses are warranted to identify the relationship between colchicine use and HF outcomes.