Reduction in Heart Failure Hospitalization Rate During the First Year of Follow-up at a Multidisciplinary Unit

Background: In-person clinic follow-up within 7 days after discharge from a heart failure hospitalization is associated with lower 30-day readmission. However, health systems and patients may find it difficult to complete an early postdischarge clinic visit, especially during the current pandemic. We evaluated the effect on 30-day readmission and death of follow-up within 7 days postdischarge guided by an initial structured nonphysician telephone visit compared with follow-up guided by an initial clinic visit with a physician. Methods and Results: We conducted a pragmatic randomized trial in a large integrated healthcare delivery system. Adults being discharged home after hospitalization for heart failure were randomly assigned to either an initial telephone visit with a nurse or pharmacist to guide follow-up or an initial in-person clinic appointment with primary care physicians providing usual care within the first 7 days postdischarge. Telephone appointments included a structured protocol enabling medication titration, laboratory ordering, and booking urgent clinic visits as needed under physician supervision. Outcomes included 30-day readmissions and death and frequency and type of completed follow-up within 7 days of discharge. Among 2091 participants (mean age 78 years, 44% women), there were no significant differences in 30-day heart failure readmission (8.6% telephone, 10.6% clinic, P =0.11), all-cause readmission (18.8% telephone, 20.6% clinic, P =0.30), and all-cause death (4.0% telephone, 4.6% clinic, P =0.49). Completed 7-day follow-up was higher in 1027 patients randomized to telephone follow-up (92%) compared with 1064 patients assigned to physician clinic follow-up (79%, P <0.001). Overall frequency of clinic visits during the first 7 days postdischarge was lower in participants assigned to nonphysician telephone guided follow-up (48%) compared with physician clinic-guided follow-up (77%, P <0.001). Conclusions: Early, structured telephone follow-up after hospitalization for heart failure can increase 7-day follow-up and reduce in-person visits with comparable 30-day clinical outcomes within an integrated care delivery framework. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT03524534.

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Multidisciplinary management programs with specialized follow-up reduce hospitalization rate in people with heart failure

Evidence-based Cardiovascular Medicine ◽

10.1054/ebcm.2001.0406 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 139-140

Author(s):

Nancy M Albert

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Hospitalization Rate ◽

Multidisciplinary Management

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Renal function and outcomes in atrial fibrillation patients after catheter ablation

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0241449 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (11) ◽

pp. e0241449

Author(s):

Tetsuma Kawaji ◽

Satoshi Shizuta ◽

Takanori Aizawa ◽

Shintaro Yamagami ◽

Yasuaki Takeji ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Atrial Fibrillation ◽

Renal Function ◽

Catheter Ablation ◽

Clinical Outcomes ◽

Cox Model ◽

Strong Predictor ◽

Multivariable Analysis ◽

Heart Failure Hospitalization

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and renal failure coexist and interact. However, scarce data about association between renal function and clinical outcomes in patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF are available. We sought to evaluate long-term renal function and clinical outcomes after AF ablation. Methods We enrolled 791 non-dialysis patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF, and evaluated the incidence of worsening renal function (WRF) after the procedure, defined as >30% decline in estimate glomerular filtration rate. Results Mean follow-up duration was 5.1±2.5 years. Five hundreds and twenty-six patients (66.5%) were free from recurrent atrial arrhythmias without any antiarrhythmic drugs at the time of final follow-up. Cumulative incidence of WRF was 13.2% at 5-year after procedure, which was significantly higher in patients with recurrent AF compared to those without (21.6% versus 8.7%, P<0.001). In the multivariable analysis, recurrent AF was an independent risk factor for WRF (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.89, 95% confidence interval 1.27–2.81, P = 0.002), along with congestive heart failure, diabetes, and eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73m2 at baseline. Patients with WRF had significantly higher 5-year incidences of all-cause death, cardiovascular death, heart failure hospitalization, ischemic stroke, and major bleeding compared to those without WRF. After adjustment of baseline differences in the multivariate Cox model, the excessive risks of WRF for all-cause death and heart failure hospitalization remained significant (adjusted HR 3.46, P = 0.002; adjusted HR 3.67, P<0.001). Conclusions In AF patients undergoing catheter ablation for AF, arrhythmia recurrence was associated with WRF during follow-up, which was a strong predictor of adverse clinical outcomes.

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P1664Pharmacological treatment patterns in heart failure: a real world cohort study

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehz748.0422 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

P Bosco-Levy ◽

C Favary ◽

J Jove ◽

R Lassalle ◽

N Moore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Real World ◽

Drug Exposure ◽

Angiotensin Receptor Blockers ◽

Treatment Patterns ◽

First Year ◽

Combination Drug ◽

Aldosterone Antagonists

Abstract Background Although the efficacy and safety of existing therapies of heart failure (HF) have been demonstrated in clinical trials in the last 35 years, little is known about the treatment patterns of HF in clinical practice, especially in France. Objectives To describe the treatment initiation patterns and the subsequent treatment changes among HF patients, in the first year following an incident hospitalisation for HF, in a French real-world setting. Methods A cohort of patients aged 40 years old and older, with an incident hospitalisation for HF between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2013, was identified in the EGB, a 1/97 permanent random sample of the French nationwide claims database. All patients who died during the index hospitalization or with a period of at least 3 consecutive months with no healthcare dispensing recorded were excluded. All included patients were followed one year. HF drugs of interest were: beta blockers (BB), angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), aldosterone antagonists (AA), diuretics, digoxin or ivabradine. Drug exposure was assessed quarterly using a Proportion of Days Covered >66% (>60 days out of the 90 days of the quarter covered by the treatment of interest), by considering HF drugs individually or in combination. Drug changes were assessed between each quarter over the first year of follow-up. Results Between 2008 and 2013, 7,387 from the EGB were included in the cohort study. The mean age at baseline was 77.7 years (±12.0 years) and 51.6% were women. During the follow-up, 24.4% of patients died and 20% did not receive any HF treatment. During the first quarter following initial hospitalisation, 42.7% of patients had diuretics, 26.0% had BB, 25.7% had ACEI, 7.4% had ARB, 7.6% had AA, 4.7% had digoxin and 1.3% had ivabradine. the most frequent combination was BB/ACE/ARB (23.4%). These proportions remained globally constant in each quarter of the follow-up. The main change occurred between thee first and the second quarter and concerned 53.1% of the initially untreated patients; by the second quarter, 22.2% of them initiated a BB/ACI/ARB combination, 13% a diuretic alone, 7.4% a BB and 4.9% a BB/ACI/ARB/AA combination. Conclusion This study provides precious information on treatment patterns after an initial hospital admission for HF at a time when new treatments for HF are emerging. Acknowledgement/Funding None

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2166A multicenter echocardiographic comparison on pacemaker-induced tricuspid valve regurgitation: leadless versus transvenous single-chamber and dual-chamber pacing therapy

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehz748.0094 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽

Author(s):

N E G Beurskens ◽

J Van Drooge ◽

F Tjong ◽

R Bon ◽

K Dasselaar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Tricuspid Valve ◽

Rank Test ◽

Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽

Heart Failure Hospitalization ◽

Dual Chamber ◽

Single Chamber ◽

Total Cohort ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background Pacemaker (PM) lead interference with tricuspid valve (TV) function is an important determinant of hemodynamic compromise and is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Lead-related TV regurgitation (TR) can potentially be mitigated by leadless pacemaker (LP) therapy by eliminating the presence of a transvalvular lead. Purpose This large multicenter study aimed to evaluate the impact of LP therapy on TV function in comparison with an age –, sex, and follow-up duration -matched cohort of transvenous single-chamber (VVI) and dual-chamber (DDD) PM recipients. Methods Leadless, and transvenous VVI and DDD-PM recipients who underwent an echocardiographic study prior to the procedure and 15±6 months thereafter between January 2013 and September 2018 at two tertiary centers in the Netherlands were included. We used the data of a prospectively acquired population that comprised consecutive patients who underwent LP implantation who were 1:1 matched to transvenous VVI-PM and DDD-PM patients. Results A total of 198 patients (129 males, age 79±8.2 years) were included, of whom 66 were implanted with a LP (two models: Nanostim, Micra LP), and 66 with a transvenous VVI and 66 with DDD-PM. In the total cohort, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed that TR severity was graded more severe in 87 (44%), equally in 104 (53%), and less severe in 7 (4%) patients (p<0.001) compared with baseline echocardiographic findings. Worsening TR was observed in 28 (42%) of the LP (p<0.001) and 34 (52%) of transvenous VVI-PM (p<0.001), and 25 (38%) of the DDD-PM recipients (p<0.01). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that LP recipients were equally prone to increasing TV dysfunction compared with transvenous PMs (p=0.42). Septal position of the leadless intracardiac device (odds ratio 3.6, p=0.03) was associated with worsening TR. In the total cohort, 30 (15%) patients had heart failure hospitalization during the follow-up period. Conclusions TR is a malignant disease which can result in high rates of heart failure hospitalization. This study revealed an unexpected high proportion of patients with worsening TR following LP therapy, yet it was comparable to conventional PM systems. The mechanical impact of the LP near the TV apparatus is the most likely cause of this phenomenon since the septal positioning of the device was associated with increasing TV incompetence. The general consensus was that LP therapy mitigates the risk for TV dyfunction due to the circumvention of transvalvular leads. Therefore, the current results are highly clinically relevant as the contradict expected performance of the LP approach.

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Clinical impact of conduction disturbances in transcatheter aortic valve replacement recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

European Heart Journal ◽

10.1093/eurheartj/ehz924 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (29) ◽

pp. 2771-2781 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Laurent Faroux ◽

Shmuel Chen ◽

Guillem Muntané-Carol ◽

Ander Regueiro ◽

Francois Philippon ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Cardiac Death ◽

Pacemaker Implantation ◽

Clinical Impact ◽

Heart Failure Hospitalization ◽

Conduction Disturbances ◽

Transcatheter Aortic Valve ◽

Increased Risk ◽

The Impact

Abstract Aims The clinical impact of new-onset persistent left bundle branch block (NOP-LBBB) and permanent pacemaker implantation (PPI) on transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) recipients remains controversial. We aimed to evaluate the impact of (i) periprocedural NOP-LBBB and PPI post-TAVR on 1-year all-cause death, cardiac death, and heart failure hospitalization and (ii) NOP-LBBB on the need for PPI at 1-year follow-up. Methods and results We performed a systematic search from PubMed and EMBASE databases for studies reporting raw data on 1-year clinical impact of NOP-LBBB or periprocedural PPI post-TAVR. Data from 30 studies, including 7792 patients (12 studies) and 42 927 patients (21 studies) for the evaluation of the impact of NOP-LBBB and PPI after TAVR were sourced, respectively. NOP-LBBB was associated with an increased risk of all-cause death [risk ratio (RR) 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.17–1.49; P < 0.001], cardiac death (RR 1.46, 95% CI 1.20–1.78; P < 0.001), heart failure hospitalization (RR 1.35, 95% CI 1.05–1.72; P = 0.02), and PPI (RR 1.89, 95% CI 1.58–2.27; P < 0.001) at 1-year follow-up. Periprocedural PPI after TAVR was associated with a higher risk of all-cause death (RR 1.17, 95% CI 1.11–1.25; P < 0.001) and heart failure hospitalization (RR 1.18, 95% CI 1.03–1.36; P = 0.02). Permanent pacemaker implantation was not associated with an increased risk of cardiac death (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.67–1.05; P = 0.13). Conclusion NOP-LBBB and PPI after TAVR are associated with an increased risk of all-cause death and heart failure hospitalization at 1-year follow-up. Periprocedural NOP-LBBB also increased the risk of cardiac death and PPI within the year following the procedure. Further studies are urgently warranted to enhance preventive measures and optimize the management of conduction disturbances post-TAVR.

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