Peri-discharge complex interventions for reducing 30-day hospital readmissions among heart failure patients: overview of systematic reviews and network meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 175791392098525
Author(s):  
CCW Zhong ◽  
CHL Wong ◽  
WKW Cheung ◽  
E-K Yeoh ◽  
CT Hung ◽  
...  

Aims: An overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to synthesize evidence of comparative effectiveness of different peri-discharge complex interventions for reducing 30-day hospital readmissions among heart failure (HF) patients. Methods: We searched five databases for SRs from their inception to August 2019 and conducted additional search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between 2003 and 2020. We used random-effect pairwise meta-analysis with pooled risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to quantify the effect of complex interventions, and NMA to evaluate comparative effectiveness among complex interventions. Primary outcome was 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions, while secondary outcomes were 30-day HF-related hospital readmissions, 30-day mortality, and 30-day emergency department visits. Results: From 20 SRs and additional RCT search, 21 eligible RCTs ( n = 5362) assessing eight different peri-discharge complex interventions were included. Pairwise meta-analysis showed no significant difference between peri-discharge complex interventions and controls on all outcomes, except that peri-discharge complex interventions were significantly more effective than controls in reducing 30-day mortality (pooled RR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.49–0.95, 5 RCTs). NMA indicated that for reducing 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions, supportive–educative intervention had the highest probability to be the best intervention, followed by disease management; while for reducing 30-day HF-related hospital readmissions, disease management is likely to be the best intervention. Conclusions: Our results suggest that disease management has the best potential to reduce 30-day all-cause and HF-related hospital readmissions. Benefits of the interventions may vary across health system contexts. Evidence-based complex interventions require local adaptation prior to implementation.

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e0811124380
Author(s):  
Cleyton Oliveira Bezerra ◽  
Rafael Marinho de Lima Paiva ◽  
Thamires Lucena da Silva ◽  
Vinicius Soares Ribeiro ◽  
Cinthia Caldas Rios ◽  
...  

The overweight and population with obesity has an increased risk of mortality from HF. However, some studies point to the existence of an "obesity paradox" where there could be a protective effect on the relative risk of death by HF in these populations with high BMI. In this way, the present study aimed to investigate obesity as a risk factor for heart failure. For this, an overview of systematic reviews was performed by selecting articles from the following databases: "Pubmed", "Scopus" and "SciElo”. A total of 615 articles were found from this initial search, leaving 59 articles for full-text reading, of which 22 articles were included for data extraction using the predefined inclusion criteria. From these 22 studies 73% were meta-analysis and 64% of the studies are of high methodological quality according to AMSTAR-2. Overweight and obesity have demonstrated a close relationship with the onset and increase of mortality by HF, studies have even been found that point to a gene interference in this relationship. In studies reporting on the obesity paradox, the results pointed to a momentary protection from mortality risk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 175628481882043 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene X. Y. Wu ◽  
Charlene H. L. Wong ◽  
Robin S. T. Ho ◽  
William K. W. Cheung ◽  
Alexander C. Ford ◽  
...  

Background: An overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and a network meta-analysis (NMA) were conducted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of acupuncture and related therapies used either alone, or as an add-on to other irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) treatments. Methods: A total of eight international and Chinese databases were searched for SRs of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The methodological quality of SRs was appraised using the AMSTAR instrument. From the included SRs, data from RCTs were extracted for the random-effect pairwise meta-analyses. An NMA was used to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of different treatment options. The risk of bias among included RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: From 15 SRs of mediocre quality, 27 eligible RCTs ( n = 2141) were included but none performed proper blinding. Results from pairwise meta-analysis showed that both needle acupuncture and electroacupuncture were superior in improving global IBS symptoms when compared with pinaverium bromide. NMA results showed needle acupuncture plus Geshanxiaoyao formula had the highest probability of being the best option for improving global IBS symptoms among 14 included treatment options, but a slight inconsistency exists. Conclusion: The risk of bias and NMA inconsistency among included trials limited the trustworthiness of the conclusion. Patients who did not respond well to first-line conventional therapies or antidepressants may consider acupuncture as an alternative. Future trials should investigate the potential of (1) acupuncture as an add-on to antidepressants and (2) the combined effect of Chinese herbs and acupuncture, which is the norm of routine Chinese medicine practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Israel Júnior Borges do Nascimento ◽  
Dónal P. O’Mathúna ◽  
Thilo Caspar von Groote ◽  
Hebatullah Mohamed Abdulazeem ◽  
Ishanka Weerasekara ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Navigating the rapidly growing body of scientific literature on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is challenging, and ongoing critical appraisal of this output is essential. We aimed to summarize and critically appraise systematic reviews of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in humans that were available at the beginning of the pandemic. Methods Nine databases (Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Web of Sciences, PDQ-Evidence, WHO’s Global Research, LILACS, and Epistemonikos) were searched from December 1, 2019, to March 24, 2020. Systematic reviews analyzing primary studies of COVID-19 were included. Two authors independently undertook screening, selection, extraction (data on clinical symptoms, prevalence, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, diagnostic test assessment, laboratory, and radiological findings), and quality assessment (AMSTAR 2). A meta-analysis was performed of the prevalence of clinical outcomes. Results Eighteen systematic reviews were included; one was empty (did not identify any relevant study). Using AMSTAR 2, confidence in the results of all 18 reviews was rated as “critically low”. Identified symptoms of COVID-19 were (range values of point estimates): fever (82–95%), cough with or without sputum (58–72%), dyspnea (26–59%), myalgia or muscle fatigue (29–51%), sore throat (10–13%), headache (8–12%) and gastrointestinal complaints (5–9%). Severe symptoms were more common in men. Elevated C-reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase, and slightly elevated aspartate and alanine aminotransferase, were commonly described. Thrombocytopenia and elevated levels of procalcitonin and cardiac troponin I were associated with severe disease. A frequent finding on chest imaging was uni- or bilateral multilobar ground-glass opacity. A single review investigated the impact of medication (chloroquine) but found no verifiable clinical data. All-cause mortality ranged from 0.3 to 13.9%. Conclusions In this overview of systematic reviews, we analyzed evidence from the first 18 systematic reviews that were published after the emergence of COVID-19. However, confidence in the results of all reviews was “critically low”. Thus, systematic reviews that were published early on in the pandemic were of questionable usefulness. Even during public health emergencies, studies and systematic reviews should adhere to established methodological standards.


2011 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C. Katapodi ◽  
Laurel L. Northouse

The increased demand for evidence-based health care practices calls for comparative effectiveness research (CER), namely the generation and synthesis of research evidence to compare the benefits and harms of alternative methods of care. A significant contribution of CER is the systematic identification and synthesis of available research studies on a specific topic. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of methodological issues pertaining to systematic reviews and meta-analyses to be used by investigators with the purpose of conducting CER. A systematic review or meta-analysis is guided by a research protocol, which includes (a) the research question, (b) inclusion and exclusion criteria with respect to the target population and studies, © guidelines for obtaining relevant studies, (d) methods for data extraction and coding, (e) methods for data synthesis, and (f ) guidelines for reporting results and assessing for bias. This article presents an algorithm for generating evidence-based knowledge by systematically identifying, retrieving, and synthesizing large bodies of research studies. Recommendations for evaluating the strength of evidence, interpreting findings, and discussing clinical applicability are offered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 146045822110309
Author(s):  
Rudin Gjeka ◽  
Kirit Patel ◽  
Chandra Reddy ◽  
Nora Zetsche

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common diagnoses in the elderly United States Medicare (⩾ age 65) population. This patient population has a particularly high readmission rate, with one estimate of the 6-month readmission rate topping 40%. The rapid rise of mobile health (mHealth) presents a promising new pathway for reducing hospital readmissions of CHF, and, more generally, the management of chronic conditions. Using a randomized research design and a multivariate regression model, we evaluated the effectiveness of a hybrid mHealth model—the integration of remote patient monitoring with an applied health technology and digital disease management platform—on 45-day hospital readmissions for patients diagnosed with CHF. We find a 78% decrease in the likelihood of CHF hospital readmission for patients who were assigned to the digital disease management platform as compared to patients assigned to control.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Juggan ◽  
Clifford A Reilly ◽  
Praveen K Ponnamreddy ◽  
Lauren Gilstrap ◽  
Emily Zeitler

Background: The pivotal cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) trials enrolled patients significantly younger than the typical contemporary heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients. Benefits of CRT in older HFrEF patients is largely unknown and may be less due to higher comorbidity burdens and higher procedural risk. We sought to address this evidentiary gap through meta-analysis. Hypothesis: Compared to patients <70 years old (”younger”), patients ≥ 70 years old (“older”) have similar mortality rates, rates of complications and changes in ejection fraction (EF) following CRT. Methods: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Web of Science were queried for comparative effectiveness studies of CRT in older HFrEF patients. Differences in mortality and mean difference (MD) in EF were calculated between groups. Random effects meta-analysis of MD in EF (older minus younger) and relative risk (RR) of death and complications are reported along with estimates of heterogeneity. Results: Seven studies [n= 4381 younger, 1203 older] were included in LVEF meta-analysis. Compared to younger patients, there was greater EF improvement in older patients [MD 1.20; 95% CI 0.13 - 2.28, p=0.03, I 2 =46%]. RR of mortality was analyzed for 11 studies [n=5038 younger, 1653 older] (Figure). Survival was better in younger patients [RR 1.06; 95% CI 1.04 - 1.09, p<0.01, I 2 =0%]. No significant differences in complication rates were observed between younger and older patients. Conclusions: CRT in older patients was associated with greater improvement in EF than younger patients. Mortality is greater in older patients which may reflect greater underlying risk of death from competing causes. Figures:


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 100511
Author(s):  
Irene X.Y. Wu ◽  
Charlene H.L. Wong ◽  
Robin S.T. Ho ◽  
William K.W. Cheung ◽  
Alexander C. Ford ◽  
...  

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