Screening and Treatment for Subclinical Hypertensive Heart Disease in Emergency Department Patients With Uncontrolled Blood Pressure: A Cost-effectiveness Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Poorly controlled hypertension (HTN) is extremely prevalent and, if left unchecked, subclinical hypertensive heart disease (SHHD) may ensue leading to conditions such as heart failure. To address this, we designed a multidisciplinary program to detect and treat SHHD in a high-risk, predominantly African American community. The primary objective of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of our program.

METHODS

Study costs associated with identifying and treating patients with SHHD were calculated and a sensitivity analysis was performed comparing the effect of four parameters on cost estimates. These included prevalence of disease, effectiveness of treatment (regression of SHHD, reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH], or blood pressure [BP] control as separate measures), echocardiogram costs, and participant time/travel costs. The parent study for this analysis was a single-center, randomized controlled trial comparing cardiac effects of standard and intense (<120/80 mm Hg) BP goals at 1 year in patients with uncontrolled HTN and SHHD. A total of 149 patients (94% African American) were enrolled, 133 (89%) had SHHD, 123 (93%) of whom were randomized, with 88 (72%) completing the study. Patients were clinically evaluated and medically managed over the course of 1 year with repeated echocardiograms. Costs of these interventions were analyzed and, following standard practices, a cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) less than $50,000 was defined as cost-effective.

RESULTS

Total costs estimates for the program ranged from $117,044 to $119,319. Cost per QALY was dependent on SHHD prevalence and the measure of effectiveness but not input costs. Cost-effectiveness (cost per QALY less than $50,000) was achieved when SHHD prevalence exceeded 11.1% for regression of SHHD, 4.7% for reversal of LVH, and 2.9% for achievement of BP control.

CONCLUSIONS

In this cohort of predominantly African American patients with uncontrolled HTN, SHHD prevalence was high and screening with treatment was cost-effective across a range of assumptions. These data suggest that multidisciplinary programs such as this can be a cost-effective mechanism to mitigate the cardiovascular consequences of HTN in emergency department patients with uncontrolled BP.

Subclinical hypertensive heart disease in black patients with elevated blood pressure in an inner-city emergency department

STUDY OBJECTIVE

We examine the point prevalence of subclinical hypertensive heart disease in a cohort of urban emergency department (ED) patients with elevated blood pressure.

METHODS

A convenience sample of hypertensive (blood pressure ≥ 140/90 mm Hg on 2 measurements) patients aged 35 years or older with no history of cardiac or renal disease who presented to a single urban ED and were asymptomatic from a cardiovascular perspective (ie, no symptoms of dyspnea or chest pain) were enrolled. All patients underwent a standardized evaluation (including echocardiography), and subclinical hypertensive heart disease was defined by the presence of one or more of the following criterion-based echocardiographic [corrected] findings: left-ventricular hypertrophy, systolic dysfunction, or diastolic dysfunction.

RESULTS

A total of 161 patients were included. Mean age was 49.8 years (SD 8.3 years), 93.8% were black, and 51.6% were men. Nearly all (93.8%) had a history of hypertension, and many (68.3%) were receiving antihypertensive therapy at baseline. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 183.9 mm Hg (SD 25.1 mm Hg) and 109.5 mm Hg (SD 14.4 mm Hg), respectively. Subclinical hypertensive heart disease was found in 146 patients (90.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 85.2% to 94.3%), with most (n=131) displaying evidence of diastolic dysfunction (89.7%; 95% CI 83.7% to 93.7%). Left-ventricular hypertrophy was also common (n=89; 61.0%; 95% CI 52.9% to 68.5%) and was often (but not exclusively) present in those with diastolic filling abnormalities (n=75; 57.3%; 95% CI 48.7% to 65.4%).

CONCLUSION

In our largely black cohort of ED patients with elevated blood pressure, subclinical hypertensive heart disease was highly prevalent, suggesting the need for coordinated efforts to reduce cardiac consequences of hypertension in such inner-city communities.