Outcome of Patients Discharged From a Heart Failure Disease Management Program following Their Clinical and Echocardiographic Recovery

Cardiology ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 131 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-202
Author(s):  
Patrick Proctor ◽  
David Ryan King ◽  
Nicole M. Fesel ◽  
Sara Y. Narveson ◽  
William E. Anderson ◽  
...  

Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is associated with high mortality and frequent hospitalizations. Disease management programs (DMPs) have a favorable impact on patients with HF. No data exist regarding the outcomes of patients discharged from such a program. Methods: We examined the outcome of patients with severe systolic HF who were discharged from a DMP following full clinical and echocardiographic recovery. Data were reviewed for mortality, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, medication adherence and left ventricular ejection fraction (EF). Results: At enrollment and discharge, the mean EF was 19 and 53%, respectively. At follow-up 46.2 months after discharge, 56% of patients had been to the emergency room, 34% were hospitalized a total of 41 times and 20% had died. In the patients who required hospitalization for HF, the mean EF upon rehospitalization had dropped to 23.4%. Conclusions: Many patients with initially severe systolic HF who had an almost full recovery in a multidisciplinary DMP had very poor outcomes once they were discharged from the program. It may be appropriate to revisit the practice of discharging patients from DMPs once they have reached a specific clinical target.

Author(s):  
Parisa Gholami ◽  
Shoutzu Lin ◽  
Paul Heidenreich

Background: BNP testing is now common though it is not clear if the test results are used to improve patient care. A high BNP may be an indicator that the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is low (<40%) such that the patient will benefit from life-prolonging therapy. Objective: To determine how often clinicians obtained a measure of LVEF (echocardiography, nuclear) following a high BNP value when the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was not known to be low (<40%). Methods and Results: We reviewed the medical records of 296 consecutive patients (inpatient or outpatient) with a BNP values of at least 200 pg/ml at a single medical center (tertiary hospital with 8 community clinics). A prior diagnosis of heart failure was made in 65%, while 42% had diabetes, 79% had hypertension, 59% had ischemic heart disease and 31% had chronic lung disease. The mean age was 73 ± 12 years, 75% were white, 10% black, 15% other and the mean BNP was 810 ± 814 pg/ml. The LVEF was known to be < 40% in 84 patients (28%, mean BNP value of 1094 ± 969 pg/ml). Of the remaining 212 patients without a known low LVEF, 161 (76%) had a prior LVEF >=40% ( mean BNP value of 673 ± 635 pg/ml), and 51 (24%) had no prior LVEF documented (mean BNP 775 ± 926 pg/ml). Following the high BNP, a measure of LVEF was obtained (including outside studies documented by the primary care provider) within 6 months in only 53% (113 of 212) of those with an LVEF not known to be low. Of those with a follow-up echocardiogram, the LVEF was <40% in 18/113 (16%) and >=40% in 95/113 (84%). There was no significant difference in mean initial BNP values between those with a follow-up LVEF <40% (872 ± 940pg/ml), >=40% (704 ± 737 pg/ml), or not done (661 ± 649 pg/ml, p=0.5). Conclusions: Follow-up measures of LVEF did not occur in almost 50% of patients with a high BNP where the information may have led to institution of life-prolonging therapy. Of those that did have a follow-up study a new diagnosis of depressesd LVEF was noted in 16%. Screening of existing BNP and LVEF data and may be an efficient strategy to identify patients that may benefit from life-prolonging therapy for heart failure.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-17
Author(s):  
Mehmet Küçükosmanoğlu ◽  
Cihan Örem

Introduction: MPI is an echocardiographic parameter that exibit the left ventricular functions globally. NT-proBNP  is an important both diagnostic and prognostic factor in heart failure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of serum NT-proBNP levels and MPI in patients with STEMI. Method: Totally 104 patients with a diagnosis of STEMI were included in the study. Patients followed for 30-days and questioned for presence of symptoms of heart failure (HF) and cardiac death. Patients were invited for outpatient control after 30-days and were divided into two groups: (HF (+) group) and (HF (-) group). Results: Totally 104 patients with STEMI were hospitalized in the coronary intensive care unit. Of those patients, 17 were female (16%), 87 were male (84%), and the mean age of the patients was 58.9±10.8 years. During the 30-day follow-up, 28 (27%) of 104 patients developed HF. The mean age, hypertension ratio and anterior STEMI rate were significantly higher in the HF (+) group compared to the HF (-) group. Ejection time (ET) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) were significantly lower and MPI was significantly higher in the HF (+) group. When the values on day first and  sixth were compared, NT-ProBNP levels were decreased in both groups. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the change in MPI values on the first and sixth days. Multiple regression analysis showed that the presence of anterior MI, first day NT-proBNP level and LVEF were independently associated with development of HF and death. Conclusion: In our study, NT-proBNP levels were found to be positively associated with MPI in patients with acute STEMI. It was concluded that the level of NT-proBNP detected especially on the 1st day was more valuable than MPI in determining HF development and prognosis after STEMI.  


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Leon-Justel ◽  
Jose I. Morgado Garcia-Polavieja ◽  
Ana Isabel Alvarez-Rios ◽  
Francisco Jose Caro Fernandez ◽  
Pedro Agustin Pajaro Merino ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Heart failure (HF) is a major and growing medical and economic problem, with high prevalence and incidence rates worldwide. Cardiac Biomarker is emerging as a novel tool for improving management of patients with HF with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods This is a before and after interventional study, that assesses the impact of a personalized follow-up procedure for HF on patient’s outcomes and care associated cost, based on a clinical model of risk stratification and personalized management according to that risk. A total of 192 patients were enrolled and studied before the intervention and again after the intervention. The primary objective was the rate of readmissions, due to a HF. Secondary outcome compared the rate of ED visits and quality of life improvement assessed by the number of patients who had reduced NYHA score. A cost-analysis was also performed on these data. Results Admission rates significantly decreased by 19.8% after the intervention (from 30.2 to 10.4), the total hospital admissions were reduced by 32 (from 78 to 46) and the total length of stay was reduced by 7 days (from 15 to 9 days). The rate of ED visits was reduced by 44% (from 64 to 20). Thirty-one percent of patients had an improved functional class score after the intervention, whereas only 7.8% got worse. The overall cost saving associated with the intervention was € 72,769 per patient (from € 201,189 to € 128,420) and €139,717.65 for the whole group over 1 year. Conclusions A personalized follow-up of HF patients led to important outcome benefits and resulted in cost savings, mainly due to the reduction of patient hospitalization readmissions and a significant reduction of care-associated costs, suggesting that greater attention should be given to this high-risk cohort to minimize the risk of hospitalization readmissions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 578-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Paula da Conceição ◽  
Mariana Alvina dos Santos ◽  
Bernardo dos Santos ◽  
Diná de Almeida Lopes Monteiro da Cruz

AbstractObjective: to describe self-care behavior and its associated factors in a sample of heart failure Brazilian patients.Method: descriptive cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic sample of 116 ambulatory patients undergoing heart failure treatment. Self-care was evaluated using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, (scores ≥70 points=appropriate self-care). Association tests were applied, considering a descriptive level of 0.05.Results: the mean age of participants was 57.7 (SD =11.3) years; 54.3% were male; the mean schooling was 5.5 (SD = 4.0) years; and 74.1% had functional class II-III. The mean scores on the subscales of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index indicated inappropriate self-care (self-care maintenance: 53.2 (SD =14.3), selfcare management: 50.0 (SD = 20.3) and self-care confidence: 52.6 (SD=22.7)) and it was found low frequencies of participants with appropriate self-care (self-care maintenance, 6.9%), self-care management (14.7%) and self-care confidence (19%). Higher scores of the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index were associated with: reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (p=0.001), longer time of experience with the disease (p=0.05) and joint monitoring by physician and nurse (p=0.007).Conclusion: investments are needed to improve the self-care behavior and the nursing can play a relevant role in this improvement.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 4989
Author(s):  
Mohammad Abumayyaleh ◽  
Christina Pilsinger ◽  
Ibrahim El-Battrawy ◽  
Marvin Kummer ◽  
Jürgen Kuschyk ◽  
...  

Background: The angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI) decreases cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Data regarding the impact of ARNI on the outcome in HFrEF patients according to heart failure etiology are limited. Methods and results: One hundred twenty-one consecutive patients with HFrEF from the years 2016 to 2017 were included at the Medical Centre Mannheim Heidelberg University and treated with ARNI according to the current guidelines. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was numerically improved during the treatment with ARNI in both patient groups, that with ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 61) (ICMP), and that with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 60) (NICMP); p = 0.25. Consistent with this data, the NT-proBNP decreased in both groups, more commonly in the NICMP patient group. In addition, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and creatinine changed before and after the treatment with ARNI in both groups. In a one-year follow-up, the rate of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation) tended to be higher in the ICMP group compared with the NICMP group (ICMP 38.71% vs. NICMP 17.24%; p = 0.07). The rate of one-year all-cause mortality was similar in both groups (ICMP 6.5% vs. NICMP 6.6%; log-rank = 0.9947). Conclusions: This study shows that, although the treatment with ARNI improves the LVEF in ICMP and NICMP patients, the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias remains higher in ICMP patients in comparison with NICMP patients. Renal function is improved in the NICMP group after the treatment. Long-term mortality is similar over a one-year follow-up.


Author(s):  
Rory Hachamovitch ◽  
Benjamin Nutter ◽  
Manuel D Cerqueira ◽  

Background . The use of implantable cardiac defibrillators has been associated with improved survival in several well-defined patient (pt) subsets. Its utilization for primary prevention in eligible pts, however, is unclear. We sought to examine the frequency of ICD implantation (ICD-IMP) for primary prevention in a cohort prospectively enrolled in a prospective, multicenter registry of ICD candidates. Methods . We identified 961 pts enrolled in the AdreView Myocardial Imaging for Risk Evaluation in Heart Failure (ADMIRE-HF) study, a prospective, multicenter study evaluating the prognostic usefulness of 123I-mIBG scintigraphy in a heart failure population. Inclusion criteria limited patients to those meeting guideline criteria for ICD implantation; these criteria included left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% and New York Heart Association functional class II-III. We excluded pts with an ICD at the time of enrollment, leaving a study cohort of 934 patients. Pts were followed up for 24 months after enrollment. Pts undergoing ICD-IMP after enrollment for secondary prevention were censored at the time of intervention. The association between ICD-IMP utilization and demographic, clinical, laboratory, and imaging data was examined using Cox proportional hazards analysis (CPH). Results . Of 934 pts, 196 (21%) were referred for ICD-IMP over a mean follow-up of 612±242 days. Implantations occurred 167±164 days after enrollment. Patients referred for ICD were younger (61±12 vs. 63±12), but did not differ with respect to proportion female (17% vs. 21%), African-American race (12% vs. 15%), diabetics (37% vs. 36%) (All p=NS). The frequency of ICD-IMP did not differ as a function of age, race, sex, LVEF, or imaging result (All p=NS). CPH revealed that a model including age, race, sex, diabetes, smoking, BMI, NYHA class, hypertension, heart failure etiology, and prior MI identified none of these as predictive of ICD-IMP. Conclusion: This analysis of prospective registry data reveals that in patients who are guideline-defined candidates for ICD-IMP, only about one in five receive an ICD over a two year follow-up interval. Multivariable modeling failed to identify any factor associated with ICD use.


Author(s):  
Hanaa Shafiek ◽  
Andres Grau ◽  
Jaume Pons ◽  
Pere Pericas ◽  
Xavier Rossello ◽  
...  

Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) is a crucial tool for the functional evaluation of cardiac patients. We hypothesized that VO2 max and VE/VCO2 slope are not the only parameters of CPET able to predict major cardiac events (mortality or cardiac transplantation urgently or elective). Objectives: We aimed to identify the best CPET predictors of major cardiac events in patients with severe chronic heart failure and to propose an integrated score that could be applied for their prognostic evaluation. Methods: We evaluated 140 patients with chronic heart failure who underwent CPET between 2011 and 2019. Major cardiac events were evaluated during follow-up. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied to study the predictive value of different clinical, echocardiographic and CPET parameters in relation to the major cardiac events. A score was generated and c-statistic was used for the comparisons. Results: Thirty-nine patients (27.9%) died or underwent cardiac transplantation over a median follow-up of 48 months. Five parameters (maximal workload, breathing reserve, left ventricular ejection fraction, diastolic dysfunction and non-idiopathic cardiomyopathy) were used to generate a risk score that had better risk discrimination than NYHA dyspnea scale, VO2 max, VE/VCO2 slope > 35 alone, and combined VO2 max and VE/VCO2 slope (p= 0.009, 0.004, < 0.001 and 0.005 respectively) in predicting major cardiac events. Conclusions: A composite score of CPET and clinical/echocardiographic data is more reliable than the single use of VO2max or combined with VE/VCO2 slope to predict major cardiac events.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Addison Upton ◽  
Laura Sleater ◽  
Kaitlyn Bankieis ◽  
LaVone Smith ◽  
Benjamin Trichon ◽  
...  

Introduction: Multidisciplinary clinics established in the care of heart failure patients are particularly impactful after hospital discharge. Clinical pharmacist integration with HFBC allows focused attention to optimizing guideline directed medical therapies (GDMT). The clinical impact of pharmacist inclusive HFBC requires further evaluation. Hypothesis: Patients with a HFBC encounter within 30 days after index heart failure hospitalization have reduced recurrent hospitalization, emergency room visits and mortality. Methods: All patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 40% obtained within 90 days prior to hospital discharge from Mission Memorial Hospital between 8/2018 and 7/2019 were screened. Patients included in the HFBC arm had a clinic encounter within 30 days of hospital discharge and the remainder of patients comprised the control arm. Electronic and manual chart abstraction was used to assess and follow patients. Baseline characteristics were compared for differences using descriptive statistics. HFBC included clinical assessment, detailed heart failure education, medication reconciliation and adjustment with an emphasis on optimization of GDMT. Patients were followed for 90 day for the primary endpoints of hospitalization, emergency room visit and death Results: A total of 1,463 patients (HFBC 307, Control 1156) comprised our final cohort. After accounting for baseline variables associated with endpoints the cumulative rates of hospitalization, emergency room visit or death still favor HFBC compared with controls at 90 days (HFBC 26% vs Control 32%, p=0.03). The 30 and 90 day frequencies of individual endpoints are represented in figure 1. Conclusions: Clinical pharmacist integrated HFBC program allows for focused medication review and optimization is associated with 19% risk reduction in hospitalization, emergency room visit and death at 90 days.


Author(s):  
Pamela N Peterson ◽  
Paul S Chan ◽  
John A Spertus ◽  
Fengming Tang ◽  
Phil Jones ◽  
...  

Background: Beta-blockers (BB) and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) are guideline recommended therapies for ambulatory heart failure patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF). Real-world use of these therapies is suboptimal. Whether variations in treatment are dominated by practice-level or patient-level factors is unknown. Methods: Practices participating in the NCDR PINNACLE program, a national office-based cardiac quality improvement registry, between July 2008 and December 2010 were evaluated. Rates of treatment with BB and ACE/ARB were evaluated in patients with HFREF (EF ≤40%) and no documented contraindication. Multivariable hierarchical relative risk regression models, including demographics, insurance status, comorbidities and a random effect for practice were used to determine 1) patient-level and 2) practice-level variation in treatment rates. To quantify practice-level variation, the median rate ratio (MRR) was calculated, which estimates the typical rate ratio between two randomly selected practices for patients with identical covariates. In general, MRRs ≥ 1.2 indicate significant variation by practice. The MRR is always >1.0 but can be compared in magnitude to patient-level risks. Results: We studied 12384 patients in 45 practices. The mean practice rate for BB treatment was 87% (IQR 83%-95%; range: 43%-100%), and the mean practice rate of ACE/ARB treatment was 90% (IQR 75%-88%; range: 18%-100%). The MRR was 1.09 for BB and 1.16 for ACE/ARB therapy. For both BB and ACE/ARB, the adjusted MRR for site level variation was larger than the rate ratio for other patient factors. (Table) Conclusions: Although rates of BB and ACE/ARB treatment among outpatients with HFREF are high, clinically meaningful variation by practice is present and explains a larger amount of the observed variance than any patient characteristic. This suggests that addressing practice-level factors represents an important opportunity to improve the use of evidence-based HF therapy.


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