Introduction
: Elevated filling pressures are a hallmark of chronic heart failure. They can be reduced acutely during HF hospitalization but the hemodynamic impact of ongoing therapy to maintain optivolemia has not been established.
Methods and Results
: After recent HF hospitalization, 274 NYHA Class III or IV HF patients were enrolled in the COMPASS-HF study at 28 experienced HF centers and received intense HF management (average 24.7 staff contacts/ 6 months) ± access to filling pressure information to adjust diuretics to maintain optivolemia, usually defined as estimated pulmonary artery diastolic (PAD) pressure of 12±4 mmHg. Filling pressure information was available for half the patients during the first 6 months (the Chronicle group, <Access), and for all patients during the next 6 months. Diuretics were adjusted 12.7 times per patient in the Chronicle group and 8.2 times per patient in the Control (-Access) group during the first 6 months (p = 0.0001). Compared to baseline, decreases in RV systolic pressure (RVSP) and ePAD were significant for the +Access patients by one year (p=0.0012 and p =.04, respectively). The Control patients exhibited a similar trend 6 months after crossing to +Access (figure
).
Conclusions:
Targeted therapeutic adjustments, based on continuous filling pressures along with intensification of HF management contacts, are associated with a reduction in chronic left-sided filling pressures and right ventricular load.
Test–retest reliability of six‐minute walk tests over a one‐year period in patients with chronic heart failure
