Transiciones de cuidados entre insuficiencia cardiaca aguda y crónica: pasos críticos en el diseño de un modelo de atención multidisciplinaria para la prevención de la hospitalización recurrente

Population-based evaluation of the impact of socioeconomic status on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure in integrated care settings

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with poor outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). We aimed to examine the influence of SES on health outcomes after a quality of care improvement intervention for the management of HF integrating hospital and primary care resources in a health care area of 209 255 inhabitants.

METHODS

We conducted a population-based pragmatic evaluation of the implementation of an integrated HF program by conducting a natural experiment using health care data. We included all individuals consecutively admitted to hospital with at least one ICD-9-CM code for HF as the primary diagnosis and discharged alive in Catalonia between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019. We compared outcomes between patients exposed to the new HF program and those in the remaining health care areas, globally and stratified by SES.

RESULTS

A total of 77 554 patients were included in the study. Death occurred in 37 469 (48.3%), clinically-related hospitalization in 41 709 (53.8%) and HF readmission in 29 755 (38.4%). On multivariate analysis, low or very low SES was associated with an increased risk of all-cause death and clinically-related hospitalization (all Ps <.05). The multivariate models showed a significant reduction in the risk of all-cause death (HR, 0.812; 95%CI, 0.723-0.912), clinically-related hospitalization (HR, 0.886; 95%CI, 0.805-0.976) and HF hospitalization (HR, 0.838; 95%CI, 0.745-0.944) in patients exposed to the new HF program compared with patients exposed to the remaining health care areas and this effect was independent of SES.

CONCLUSIONS

An intensive transitional HF management program improved clinical outcomes, both overall and across SES strata.

Optimisation of treatments for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in routine practice: a position statement from a panel of experts

Major international practice guidelines recommend the use of a combination of 4 medication classes in the treatment of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) but do not specify how these treatments should be introduced and up-titrated. Consequently, many patients with HFrEF do not receive an optimized treatment regimen. This review proposes a pragmatic algorithm for treatment optimization designed to be easily applied in routine practice. The first goal is to ensure that all 4 recommended medication classes are initiated as early as possible to establish effective therapy, even at a low dose. This is considered preferable to starting fewer medications at a maximum dose. The second goal is to ensure that the intervals between the introduction of different medications and between different titration steps are as short as possible to ensure patient safety. Specific proposals are made for older patients (> 75 years) who are frail, and for those with cardiac rhythm disorders. Application of this algorithm should allow an optimal treatment protocol to be achieved within 2-months in most patients, which should the treatment goal in HFrEF.

Hospital development of heart failure follow-up units and short-term prognosis after acute decompensation in Spain

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether the existence of heart failure units (HFU) and link nurse units (LNU) in the hospital improve short-term outcomes of acute heart failure (AHF) episodes.

METHODS

Patients with AHF diagnosed in 45 Spanish emergency departments were analysed according to whether the hospital had a complete development of follow-up units (HFU + LNU), partial (HFU or LNU) or none. The outcomes were: 30-day mortality, hospitalization, in-hospital mortality, >7 days admission, and adverse event (death, rehospitalisation, or reconsultation to the emergency department) at 30 days post-discharge. Outcomes were adjusted for baseline and AHF episode characteristics.

RESULTS

19,947 patients were included, median age was 82 years (IQR 76--87), women were 55%. It was 20% of patients attended in hospitals with null development, 28% with partial development and 52% with complete development. Mortality at 30 days was 10.1% (null/partial/complete development: 10.5%/9.5%/10.4%; p=0.880), hospitalization 74.6% (72.7%/72.7%/75.7%; p<0.001), in-hospital mortality 7.4% (7.6%/7.0%/7.5%; p=0.995), prolonged hospitalization 47.4% (51.1%/52.4%/43.5%; p<0.001) and adverse events 30 days post-hospitalization 30.3% (36.2%/28.9%/30.3%; p < 0.001). In the adjusted analysis, hospital with complete development of follow-up units was not associated with mortality, but with increased hospitalization (OR= 1.172; 95%CI 1.069-1.285) and lower prolonged hospitalization (OR = 0.725; 95%CI 0.660-0.797) and adverse events at 30 days post-discharge (OR=0.831; 95%CI 0.755-0.916). Partial development was only associated with decreased post-discharge adverse events (OR= 0.782; 95%CI 0.702-0.871).

CONCLUSION

The development of follow-up units is not associated with 30-day mortality, but is associated with less prolonged hospitalization and fewer post-discharge adverse events in patients with AHF.

Usefulness of telemedicine-based heart failure monitoring according to 'eHealth literacy' domains: Insights from the iCOR randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The potential positive effect of electronic health (eHealth)-based heart failure (HF) monitoring remains uncertain mainly in the 'low literacy' or 'computer or digital illiterate' patients. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a telemedicine (TM)-based managed care solution across literacy levels and information and communications technology (ICT) skills.

METHODS

We performed a sub-analysis on the basis of two literacy domains encompassed in the definition of 'eHealth literacy' to the HF-patients included in the 'insuficiència Cardíaca Optimització Remota' (iCOR) randomized study comparing TM vs. usual care (UC) in HF-patients. The primary study endpoint was the incidence of a non-fatal HF event after 6 months of inclusion. The event rates of primary and secondary study endpoints were calculated for each literacy domains and its combination. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to evaluate the effect of 'eHealth literacy' dimensions, treatment group and the interaction term 'eHealth literacy' domains by treatment group on study endpoints.

RESULTS

The beneficial effect of TM compared to UC strategy was consistent across all literacy domains (p-value for interaction 0.207 and 0.117 respectively). The risk of experiencing a primary event was significantly lower in patients that underwent allocation to the TM arm compared to UC in both clustered in the 'lower literacy' (p-value=0.001) and those allocated to the 'lower ICT skills' (p-value=0.001) subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-invasive eHealth-based HF monitoring tools are effective compared to UC in preventing HF events in the early post-discharge period, regardless of two 'eHealth literacy' domains ('traditional and computer literacy').

Effectiveness of telemedicine in patients with heart failure according to frailty phenotypes: Insights from the iCOR randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The potential impact of telemedicine (TM) in the monitoring of patients with heart failure (HF) is still uncertain particularly in the frailest patients. The aim of this study was to define the efficacy of a TM-based managed care solution across different HF patient frailty phenotypes.

METHODS

We performed a clustering analysis on the basis of 8 frailty-related dimensions to the HF-patients included in the 'insuficiència Cardíaca Optimització Remota' (iCOR) randomised study comparing TM vs. usual care (UC) in HF patients. The primary study endpoint was the incidence of a non-fatal HF event after 6 months of inclusion. The healthcare-related costs in each study group and cluster were also evaluated. The event rates of primary and secondary study endpoints were calculated for each cluster. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to evaluate the effect of cluster, treatment group and the interaction term cluster by treatment group on study endpoints.

RESULTS

5 different frailty phenotypes were identified. The positive effect of TM compared to UC strategy was consistent across all frailty phenotypes (p-value for interaction 0.711). The risk of experiencing a primary event was significantly lower in patients that underwent allocation to the TM arm compared to UC (p-value = 0.016). Ultimately, the healthcare costs were significantly reduced in patients allocated to the TM compared to UC in all 5 frailty phenotypes (all p-value < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Non-invasive TM-based follow-up tools are effective compared to UC follow-up in preventing HF events in the early post-discharge period, regardless of the 5 frailty phenotypes.

Impact of hospital and emergency department structural and organizational characteristics on outcomes of acute heart failure

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

To determine whether structural/organizational characteristics of hospitals and emergency departments (EDs) affect acute heart failure (AHF) outcomes.

METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of the EAHFE Registry. Six hospital/ED characteristics were collected and were related to 7 postindex events and postdischarge outcomes, adjusted by the period of patient inclusion, baseline patient characteristics, AHF episode features, and hospital and ED characteristics. The relationship between discharge directly from the ED (DDED) and outcomes was assessed, and interaction was analyzed according to the hospital/ED characteristics.

RESULTS

We analyzed 17 974 AHF episodes included by 40 Spanish EDs. Prolonged stays were less frequent in high-technology hospitals and those with hospitalization at home and with high-inflow EDs, and were more frequent in hospitals with a heart failure unit (HFU) and an ED observation unit. In-hospital mortality was lower in high-technology hospitals (OR, 0.78; 95%CI, 0.65-0.94). Analysis of 30-day postdischarge outcomes showed that hospitals with a short-stay unit (SSU) had higher hospitalization rates (OR, 1.19; 95%CI, 1.02-1.38), high-inflow EDs had lower mortality (OR, 0.73; 95%CI, 0.56-0.96) and fewer combined events (OR, 0.87; 95%CI, 0.76-0.99), while hospitals with HFU had fewer ED reconsultations (OR, 0.83; 95%CI, 0.76-0.91), hospitalizations (OR, 0.85; 95%CI, 0.75-0.97), and combined events (OR, 0.84; 95%CI, 0.77-0.92). The higher the percentage of DDED, the fewer the prolonged stays. Among other interactions, we found that more frequent DDED was associated with more 30-day postdischarge reconsultations, hospitalizations and combined events in hospitals without SSUs, but not in hospitals with an SSU.

CONCLUSIONS

AHF outcomes were significantly affected by the structural/organizational characteristics of hospitals and EDs and their aggressiveness in ED management.

Relationship of symptom stress, care needs, social support, and meaning in life to quality of life in patients with heart failure from the acute to chronic stages: a longitudinal study

Background

Patients with heart failure (HF) experience continuous changes in symptom distress, care needs, social support, and meaning in life from acute decompensation to chronic phases. The longitudinal relationship between these four factors and quality of life (QOL) was not fully explored.

Aims

To simultaneously investigate the relationship between all factors and QOL from hospitalization to 6 months after discharge, and the impact of the changes in these factors on QOL at different time points.

Methods

A longitudinal design with panel research (4 time points) was used. From January 2017 to December 2019, patients hospitalized due to acute decompensated HF were consecutively enrolled and followed up for 6 months. Patients were interviewed with questionnaires assessing symptom distress, care needs, social support, meaning in life and QOL at hospitalization and 1, 3 and 6 months after discharge.

Results

A total of 184 patients completed 6 months of follow-up. From baseline to 6 months, QOL continuously improved along with decreases in symptoms and care needs, but increases in social support and meaning in life. Better QOL was associated with younger age, higher education level, economic independence, less symptom distress and care needs, and stronger meaning in life (p < 0.05). Compared with hospitalization, decreases in care needs and increases in meaning in life at 1, 3 and 6 months were associated with an increase in physical QOL (p < 0.01). The decrease in care needs and increase in meaning in life at 3 months were associated with an increase in mental QOL (p < 0.05). The increase in social support at 6 months was associated with increases in both physical and mental QOL (p < 0.01). Changes in symptom distress were not correlated with changes in QOL from baseline to all time points. In the multivariable analysis, these findings were independent of age, educational level and economic status.

Conclusions

Although symptom distress is associated with QOL after acute decompensated HF, QOL cannot be improved only by improvement in symptoms. With differential duration of improvement in each factor, the integration of alleviation in care needs and strengthening in social support and meaning in life might provide additional benefits in QOL.

Morbidity and mortality in elderly patients with heart failure managed with a comprehensive care model vs. usual care: The UMIPIC program

BACKGROUND

Elderly patients with heart failure (HF) have a high degree of comorbidity which leads to fragmented care, with frequent hospitalizations and high mortality. This study evaluated the benefit of a comprehensive continuous care model (UMIPIC program) in elderly HF patients.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We prospectively analyzed data from the RICA registry on 2862 patients with HF treated in internal medicine departments. They were divided into two groups: one monitored in the UMIPIC program (UMIPIC group, n: 809) and another which received conventional care (RICA group, n: 2.053). We evaluated HF readmissions during 12 months of follow-up and total mortality after episodes of HF hospitalization. UMIPIC patients were older with higher rates of comorbidity and preserved ejection fraction than the RICA group. However, the UMIPIC group had a lower rate of HF readmissions (17% vs. 26%, p < .001) and mortality (16% vs. 27%, respectively; p < .001). In addition, we selected 370 propensity score-matched patients from each group and the differences in HF readmissions (15% UMIPIC vs. 30% RICA; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-0.60; p < .001) and mortality (17% UMIPIC vs. 28% RICA; hazard ratio = 0.58; 95% CI 0.42-0.79; p = .001) were maintained.

CONCLUSIONS

The implementation of the UMIPIC program, based on comprehensive continuous care of elderly patients with HF and high comorbidity, markedly reduce HF readmissions and total mortality.

The relationship between self-care, long-term mortality, and heart failure hospitalization: insights from a real-world cohort study

AIMS

The assumption that improved self-care in the setting of heart failure (HF) care necessarily translates into improvements in long-term mortality and/or hospitalization is not well established. We aimed to study the association between self-care and long-term mortality and other major adverse HF events (MAHFE).

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted an observational, prospective, cohort study of 1123 consecutive patients with chronic HF. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. We used the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale 9-item version (EHFSCBS-9) to measure global self-care (overall score) and three specific dimensions of self-care including autonomy-based adherence, consulting behaviour and provider-based adherence. After a mean follow-up of 3.3 years, all-cause death occurred in 487 patients (43%). In adjusted analysis, higher EHFScBS-9 scores (better self-care) at baseline were associated with lower risk of all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR) 0.993, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.988-0.997), P-value = 0.002], cardiovascular (CV) death [HR 0.989, 95% CI (0.981-0.996), P-value = 0.003], HF hospitalization [HR 0.993, 95% CI (0.988-0.998), P-value = 0.005], and the combination of MAHFE [HR 0.995, 95% CI (0.991-0.999), P-value = 0.018]. Similarly, impaired global self-care [HR 1.589, 95% CI (1.201-2.127), P-value = 0.001], impaired autonomy-based adherence [HR 1.464, 95% CI (1.114-1.923), P-value = 0.006], and impaired consulting behaviour dimensions [HR 1.510, 95% CI (1.140-1.923), P-value = 0.006] were all associated with higher risk of all-cause mortality.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we have shown that worse self-care is an independent predictor of long-term mortality (both, all-cause and CV), HF hospitalization, and the combinations of these endpoints in patients with chronic HF. Important dimensions of self-care such as autonomy-based adherence and consulting behaviour also determine the risk of all these outcomes in the long term.

Implications for Clinical Practice from a Multicenter Survey of Heart Failure Management Centers

OBJECTIVES

This observational, cross-sectional study based aimed to test whether heart failure (HF)-disease management program (DMP) components are influencing care and clinical decision-making in Brazil.

METHODS

The survey respondents were cardiologists recommended by experts in the field and invited to participate in the survey via printed form or email. The survey consisted of 29 questions addressing site demographics, public versus private infrastructure, HF baseline data of patients, clinical management of HF, performance indicators, and perceptions about HF treatment.

RESULTS

Data were obtained from 98 centers (58% public and 42% private practice) distributed across Brazil. Public HF-DMPs compared to private HF-DMP were associated with a higher percentage of HF-DMP-dedicated services (79% vs 24%; OR: 12, 95% CI: 94-34), multidisciplinary HF (MHF)-DMP [84% vs 65%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-8), HF educational programs (49% vs 18%; OR: 4; 95% CI: 1-2), written instructions before hospital discharge (83% vs 76%; OR: 1; 95% CI: 0-5), rehabilitation (69% vs 39%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-9), monitoring (44% vs 29%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 1-5), guideline-directed medical therapy-HF use (94% vs 85%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 0-15), and less B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) dosage (73% vs 88%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-9), and key performance indicators (37% vs 60%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-7). In comparison to non- MHF-DMP, MHF-DMP was associated with more educational initiatives (42% vs 6%; OR: 12; 95% CI: 1-97), written instructions (83% vs 68%; OR: 2: 95% CI: 1-7), rehabilitation (69% vs 17%; OR: 11; 95% CI: 3-44), monitoring (47% vs 6%; OR: 14; 95% CI: 2-115), GDMT-HF (92% vs 83%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 0-15). In addition, there were less use of BNP as a biomarker (70% vs 84%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 1-8) and key performance indicators (35% vs 51%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 91,6) in the non-MHF group. Physicians considered changing or introducing new medications mostly when patients were hospitalized or when observing worsening disease and/or symptoms. Adherence to drug treatment and non-drug treatment factors were the greatest medical problems associated with HF treatment.

CONCLUSION

HF-DMPs are highly heterogeneous. New strategies for HF care should consider the present study highlights and clinical decision-making processes to improve HF patient care.

Follow-up results in a specialised consultation after discharge for heart failure

BACKGROUND

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure (HF), the condition still has high morbidity and mortality. Health education and the treatment of comorbidities have been shown to be effective, as has multidisciplinary care in specialised units, although this involves organisational and structural efforts that are not always feasible. We present the results of a simple outpatient consultation, focused on the specialised care of HF.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The consultation included patients discharged after hospitalisation (index hospitalisation) for decompensated HF from an internal medicine department. The follow-up was conducted by internists especially dedicated (not exclusively) to HF and a nurse partially dedicated to HF. The follow-up consisted of fixed visits 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the discharge, with more visits on demand if needed.

RESULTS

A total of 250 patients were included with a minimum follow-up of 1 year. The reduction in hospitalisations and emergency department visits was 56% and 61% (P<.05), respectively, for HF and 46% and 40% (P<.05), respectively, for any cause. Treatment optimisation was also achieved, with a significant increase in the evidence-based drug prescription rate and the reduction of other drugs, such as calcium antagonists.

CONCLUSION

A simple model based on a specialised care consultation for HF is effective in reducing readmissions and optimising the treatment. The lack of healthcare resources should not be an obstacle for specialised care for patients with HF.

The CRAS-EAHFE study: Characteristics and prognosis of acute heart failure episodes with cardiorenal-anaemia syndrome at the emergency department

BACKGROUND

The coexistence of other comorbidities confers poor outcomes in patients with acute heart failure. Our aim was to determine the characteristics of patients with acute heart failure and cardiorenal anaemia syndrome and the relationship between renal dysfunction and anaemia, alone or combined as cardiorenal anaemia syndrome, on short-term outcomes.

METHODS

We analysed the Epidemiology of Acute Heart Failure in Emergency Departments registry (cohort of patients with acute heart failure in Spanish emergency departments). Renal dysfunction was defined by an estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/m², anaemia by haemoglobin values <12/<13 g/dl in women/men, and cardiorenal anaemia syndrome as the presence of both. Comparisons were made according to cardiorenal-anaemia syndrome positive (CRAS+) with respect to the rest of patients (CRAS-) and according the presence of renal dysfunction (RD+) and anaemia (A+), (alone, RD+/A-, RD-/A+) or in combination (RD+/A+; i.e. CRAS+) with respect to patients without renal dysfunction and anaemia (RD-/A-). The primary outcome was 30-day mortality, and the secondary outcomes were need for admission, prolonged hospitalisation (>10 days), in-hospital mortality during the index event, and reconsultation and the combination of 30-day post-discharge reconsultation/death. These short-term outcomes were compared and adjusted for differences among groups.

RESULTS

Of the 13,307 patients analysed, CRAS+ (36.4%) was associated with older age, multiple comorbidities, chronic use of loop diuretics, oedemas and hypotension. The 30-day mortality in CRAS+ was greater than in CRAS- (hazard ratio = 1.46, 95% confidence interval = 1.26-1.68) and RD-/A- (hazard ratio = 1.83, 95% confidence interval = 1.46-2.28) control groups. The mortality level was also higher in RD+/A- (hazard ratio = 1.40, 95% confidence interval = 1.10-1.78) and higher, but not statistically significant, in RD-/A+ (hazard ratio = 1.28, 95% confidence interval = 0.99-1.63) with respect to RD-/A-. All of the secondary outcomes, when related to CRAS- and RD-/A- control groups, were worse for CRAS+ and to a lesser extent, RD+/A-, being more rarely observed in RD-/A+.

CONCLUSIONS

Cardiorenal anaemia syndrome in acute heart failure is related to greater mortality and worse short-term outcomes, and the impact of renal dysfunction and anaemia seems to be additive.

Transitional Care Interventions for Patients with Heart Failure: An Integrative Review

Heart failure (HF) is a life-limiting illness and presents as a gradual functional decline with intermittent episodes of acute deterioration and some recovery. In addition, HF often occurs in conjunction with other chronic diseases, resulting in complex comorbidities. Hospital readmissions for HF, including emergency department (ED) visits, are considered preventable. Majority of the patients with HF are often discharged early in the recovery period with inadequate self-care instructions. To address these issues, transitional care interventions have been implemented with the common objective of reducing the rate of hospital readmission, including ED visits. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the benefits and adverse effects of transitional care interventions on clinical outcomes and patient-related outcomes of patients with HF. This integrative review aims to identify the components of transitional care interventions and the effectiveness of these interventions in improving health outcomes of patients with HF. Five databases were searched from January 2000 to December 2019, and 25 articles were included.

Improving the design of heart failure care from the perspective of frontline providers and administrators: A qualitative case study of a large, urban health system

BACKGROUND

Heart failure patients often present with frailty and/or multi-morbidity, complicating care and service delivery. The Chronic Care Model (CCM) is a useful framework for designing care for complex patients. It assumes responsibility of several actors, including frontline providers and health-care administrators, in creating conditions for optimal chronic care management. This qualitative case study examines perceptions of care among providers and administrators in a large, urban health system in Canada, and how the CCM might inform redesign of care to improve health system functioning.

METHODS

Sixteen semi-structured interviews were conducted between August 2014 and January 2016. Interpretive analysis was conducted to identify how informants perceive care among this population and the extent to which the design of heart failure care aligns with elements of the CCM.

RESULTS

Current care approaches could better align with CCM elements. Key changes to improve health system functioning for complex heart failure patients that align with the CCM include closing knowledge gaps, standardizing treatment, improving interdisciplinary communication and improving patient care pathways following hospital discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

The CCM can be used to guide health system design and interventions for frail and multi-morbid heart failure patients. Addressing care- and service-delivery barriers has important clinical, administrative and economic implications.

[Efficacy of a multidisciplinary care management program for patients admitted at hospital because of heart failure (ProMIC)]

OBJECTIVE

To assess the efficacy of the ProMIC, multidisciplinary program for patients admitted at hospital because of heart failure (HF) programme, in reducing the HF-related readmission rate.

DESING

Quasi-experimental research with control group.

SETTINGS

Twelve primary health care centres and 3 hospitals from the Basque Country.

PARTICIPANTS

Aged 40 years old or above patients admitted for HF with a New York Heart Association functional class II to IV.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients in the intervention group carried out the ProMIC programme, a structured clinical intervention based on clinical guidelines and on the chronic care model. Control group received usual care.

MAIN MEASUREMENTS

The rate of readmission for HF and health-related quality of life RESULTS: One hundred fifty five patients were included in ProMIC group and 129 in control group. 45 rehospitalisation due to heart failure happened in ProMIC versus 75 in control group (adjusted hazard ratio=0.59, CI 95%: 0.36-0.98; P=.049). There were significant differences in specific quality of life al 6 months. No significant differences were found in rehospitalisation due to all causes, due to cardiovascular causes, visits to emergency room, mortality, the combined variable of these events, the functional capacity or quality of life at 12 months of follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

ProMIC reduces significantly heart failure rehospitalisation and improve quality of life al 6 months of follow up. No significant differences were found in the rests of variables.

Hospital ambulatory medicine: A leading strategy for Internal Medicine in Europe

Addressing the current collision course between growing healthcare demands, rising costs and limited resources is an extremely complex challenge for most healthcare systems worldwide. Given the consensus that this critical reality is unsustainable from staff, consumer, and financial perspectives, our aim was to describe the official position and approach of the Working Group on Professional Issues and Quality of Care of the European Federation of Internal Medicine (EFIM), for encouraging internists to lead a thorough reengineering of hospital operational procedures by the implementation of innovative hospital ambulatory care strategies. Among these, we include outpatient and ambulatory care strategies, quick diagnostic units, hospital-at-home, observation units and daycare hospitals. Moving from traditional 'bed-based' inpatient care to hospital ambulatory medicine may optimize patient flow, relieve pressure on hospital bed availability by avoiding hospital admissions and shortening unnecessary hospital stays, reduce hospital-acquired complications, increase the capacity of hospitals with minor structural investments, increase efficiency, and offer patients a broader, more appropriate and more satisfactory spectrum of delivery options.

Effects on short term outcome of non-invasive ventilation use in the emergency department to treat patients with acute heart failure: A propensity score-based analysis of the EAHFE Registry

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effects of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in emergency department (ED) patients with acute heart failure (AHF) on short term outcomes.

METHODS

Patients from the EAHFE Registry (a multicenter, observational, multipurpose, cohort-designed database including consecutive AHF patients in 41 Spanish EDs) were grouped based on NIV treatment (NIV+ and NIV-groups). Using propensity score (PS) methodology, we identified two subgroups of patients matched by 38 covariates and compared regarding 30-day survival (primary outcome). Interaction was investigated for age, sex, ischemic cardiomyopathy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, AHF precipitated by an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), AHF classified as hypertensive or acute pulmonary edema (APE), and systolic blood pressure (SBP). Secondary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) admission; mechanical ventilation; in-hospital, 3-day and 7-day mortality; and prolonged hospitalization (>7 days).

RESULTS

Of 11,152 patients from the EAHFE (age (SD): 80 (10) years; 55.5% women), 718 (6.4%) were NIV+ and had a higher 30-day mortality (HR = 2.229; 95%CI = 1.861-2.670) (p < 0.001). PS matching provided 2 groups of 490 patients each with no significant differences in 30-day mortality (HR = 1.239; 95%CI = 0.905-1.696) (p = 0.182). Interaction analysis suggested a worse effect of NIV on elderly patients (>85 years, p < 0.001), AHF associated with ACS (p = 0.045), and SBP < 100 mmHg (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found in the secondary endpoints except for more prolonged hospitalizations in NIV+ patients (OR = 1.445; 95%CI = 1.122-1.862) (p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

The use of NIV to treat AHF in ED is not associated with improved mortality outcomes and should be cautious in old patients and those with ACS and hypotension.

The Usefulness of the MEESSI Score for Risk Stratification of Patients With Acute Heart Failure at the Emergency Department

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The MEESSI scale stratifies acute heart failure (AHF) patients at the emergency department (ED) according to the 30-day mortality risk. We validated the MEESSI risk score in a new cohort of Spanish patients to assess its accuracy in stratifying patients by risk and to compare its performance in different settings.

METHODS

We included consecutive patients diagnosed with AHF in 30 EDs during January and February 2016. The MEESSI score was calculated for each patient. The c-statistic measured the discriminatory capacity to predict 30-day mortality of the full MEESSI model and secondary models. Further comparisons were made among subgroups of patients from university and community hospitals, EDs with high-, medium- or low-activity and EDs that recruited or not patients in the original MEESSI derivation cohort.

RESULTS

We analyzed 4711 patients (university/community hospitals: 3811/900; high-/medium-/low-activity EDs: 2695/1479/537; EDs participating/not participating in the previous MEESSI derivation study: 3892/819). The distribution of patients according to the MEESSI risk categories was: 1673 (35.5%) low risk, 2023 (42.9%) intermediate risk, 530 (11.3%) high risk and 485 (10.3%) very high risk, with 30-day mortality of 2.0%, 7.8%, 17.9%, and 41.4%, respectively. The c-statistic for the full model was 0.810 (95%CI, 0.790-0.830), ranging from 0.731 to 0.785 for the subsequent secondary models. The discriminatory capacity of the MEESSI risk score was similar among subgroups of hospital type, ED activity, and original recruiter EDs.

CONCLUSIONS

The MEESSI risk score successfully stratifies AHF patients at the ED according to the 30-day mortality risk, potentially helping clinicians in the decision-making process for hospitalizing patients.

Renal function and acute heart failure outcome

The interaction between acute heart failure (AHF) and renal dysfunction is complex. Several studies have evaluated the prognostic value of this syndrome. The aim of this systematic review, which includes non-selected samples, was to investigate the impact of different renal function variables on the AHF prognosis. The categories included in the studies reviewed included: creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), the BUN/creatinine quotient, chronic kidney disease, the formula to estimate the glomerular filtration rate, criteria of acute renal injury and new biomarkers of renal damage such as neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL and cystatin c). The basal alterations of the renal function, as well as the acute alterations, transient or not, are related to a worse prognosis in AHF, it is therefore necessary to always have baseline, acute and evolutive renal function parameters.

Short-term outcomes of heart failure patients with reduced and preserved ejection fraction after acute decompensation according to the final destination after emergency department care

AIMS

To compare short-term outcomes after an episode of acute heart failure (AHF) in patients with reduced and preserved ejection fractions (HFrEF, < 40%; and HFpEF, > 49%; respectively) according to their destinations after emergency department (ED) care.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This secondary analysis of the EAHFE Registry (consecutive AHF patients diagnosed in 41 Spanish EDs) investigated 30-day all-cause mortality, in-hospital all-cause mortality, prolonged hospitalisation (> 7 days), and 30-day post-discharge ED revisit due to AHF, all-cause death, and combined endpoint (ED revisit/death) in 5829 patients with echocardiographically documented HFrEF and HfpEF (HFrEF/HFpEF: 1,442/4,387). Adjusted ratios were calculated for patients admitted to internal medicine (IM), short stay unit (SSU), and discharged from the ED without hospitalisation (DEDWH) and compared with those admitted to cardiology. For HFrEF, the only significant differences were lower in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.26; 95% CI 0.08-0.81; p = 0.021) and prolonged hospitalisation (OR = 0.07; 95% CI 0.04-0.13; p < 0.001) related to SSU admission. For HFpEF, IM admission had a higher post-discharge 30-day mortality (HR = 1.85; 95% CI 1.05-3.25; p = 0.033) and combined endpoint (HR = 1.24; 95% CI 1.01-1.64; p = 0.044); SSU admission had a lower in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.43; 95% CI 0.23-0.80; p = 0.008) and prolonged hospitalisation (OR = 0.17; 95% CI 0.13-0.23; p < 0.001) but a higher post-discharge 30-day combined endpoint (HR = 1.29; 95% CI 1.01-1.64; p = 0.041); and DEDDWH had a lower 30-day mortality (HR = 0.46; 95% CI 0.28-0.75; p = 0.002) but higher post-discharge ED revisit (HR = 1.62; 95% CI 1.31-2.00; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

While HFrEF patients have similar short-term outcomes irrespective of the destination after ED care for an AHF episode, HFpEF patients present worse short-term outcomes when managed by non-cardiology departments, despite adjustment for different clinical patient profiles. Reasons for this heterogeneous specialty-related performance should be investigated.

Transcultural adaptation and validation of the patient empowerment in long-term conditions questionnaire

Background

Patient empowerment is a key element to improve the results in health, increase satisfaction amongst users and obtain higher treatment compliance. The main objective of this study is to validate the Spanish version of the questionnaire “Patient empowerment in long-term conditions” which evaluates the patients’ level of empowerment of chronic diseases. The secondary objective is to identify factors which predict basal empowerment and changes (improvement or deterioration) in patients with Heart Failure (HF).

Methods

An observational and prospective design of psychometric type to validate a questionnaire (aim 1) and a prospective study of cohorts (aim 2). The study will include 121 patients with confirmed diagnosis of HF. Three measurements (basal, at 15 days and at 3 months) will be carried out: quality of life, self-care and empowerment. Descriptive and inferential analyses will be used. For the first aim of the study (validation), the test-retest reproducibility will be assessed through intraclass correlation coefficient; internal consistency will be assessed through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient; construct validity through Pearson’s correlation coefficient; and sensibility to change through effect size coefficient.

Discussion

Set a valid questionnaire to measure the level of empowerment of patients with chronic diseases could be an effective tool to assess the results from the provision of the health care services. It will also allow us to identify at an early stage, those groups of patients with a low level of empowerment. Hence, they could become a risk group due to poor management of the disease, with a high rate of decompensation and a higher use rate of the health system resources.