What is the impact of systems of care for heart failure on patients diagnosed with heart failure: a systematic review

Differential impacts of self-care behavior on clinical outcomes in patients with and without recent heart failure hospitalization

BACKGROUND

Although clinical guidelines recommend self-care assessment for patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), its prognostic significance remains controversial. This study aimed to compare the prognostic significance of self-care behavior on mortality between patients with and without a history of recent hospitalization for heart failure (HF).

METHODS

We analyzed consecutive 1907 CHF patients from a Japanese multicenter registry (January 2020-June 2023) using the 9-item European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS-9) at enrolment. Suboptimal self-care behavior was defined as a score < 70 on the EHFScBS-9. Patients were divided into recent (within 30 days post-discharge, n = 664) and no recent hospitalization for HF groups (n = 1263), respectively. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause death and rehospitalization for HF.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up period of 427 (interquartile range 273-630) days, the primary outcome occurred in 100 patients. Patients with suboptimal self-care behavior exhibited a higher incidence of the primary outcome in the recent hospitalization for HF group (p = 0.020) but not in the no recent hospitalization for HF group (P = 0.16). Multivariable regressions showed suboptimal self-care behavior was independently associated with the primary outcome in the recent hospitalization for HF group with a significant interaction (P = 0.029).

CONCLUSION

In patients recently hospitalized for HF, but not in those without a recent hospitalization history for HF, suboptimal self-care behavior was associated with adverse events. This indicates the importance of self-care education for these patients.

Intensive therapeutic education strategy for patients with acute heart failure (EduStra-HF): Design of a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is associated with reduced quality of life, hospitalizations, death and high healthcare costs. Despite care improvements, the rehospitalization rate after an acute heart failure episode, especially for acute heart failure, remains high.

METHODS

The Education Strategy for patients with acute Heart Failure (EduStra-HF; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT03035123) study will randomize patients admitted for acute heart failure in six French hospitals to usual care (control) or therapeutic education (intervention). All patients will be evaluated at baseline and will meet with a therapeutic education nurse before discharge. Those in the usual care arm will have standard appointments with their cardiologist and general practitioner. Those in the intervention arm will have an intensive follow-up schedule of phone calls, home visits and text messages from the therapeutic education nurses, plus cardiologist visits. Patients will be stratified by discharge location (home or cardiac rehabilitation centre) before randomization, and will be followed up for 1 year. The primary outcome will be the readmission rates for acute heart failure during 1 year in the two groups. Secondary outcomes will include: quality of life; time from inclusion to first readmission for acute heart failure; non-heart failure cardiovascular rehospitalization rates; length of stay for heart failure; cardiovascular and all-cause death; rates of patients receiving optimal medical therapies; evolution of knowledge about heart failure; and cost-effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will assess the efficacy and feasibility of a standardized management strategy for the care and follow-up of patients discharged after hospitalization for acute heart failure. The EduStra-HF strategy will combine various nurse care methods to help prevent rehospitalization.

Myocardial Recovery in the Systemic Context: A Philosophic Shift for the Heart Failure Subspecialty to Optimize Patient Care

Heart failure poses a significant challenge to healthcare systems and society at large, mainly due to its increasing prevalence among the aging population and its association with frequent hospitalizations with high mortality rates. At its core, heart failure management seeks to emphasize myocardial recovery across the spectrum of disease, from acute cardiogenic shock to ambulatory heart failure, with care ranging from consideration of mechanical circulatory support to medication optimization. In this review, we propose a definition of "recovery" that extends beyond the restoration of normal myocardial dynamics to the entire human organism, ultimately improving functional capacity and clinical outcomes. Prioritizing this more holistic definition of "recovery" allows a broader representation of the spectrum of disease and corresponding management that falls under the "heart failure" umbrella. In so doing, a more synchronized delivery of care across settings and disciplines may be feasible for the modern patient living with heart failure.

Differential Mortality Among Heart Failure Patients Across Different COVID-19 Surges in New York City

ABSTRACT

Learning from the healthcare system's response to the COVID-19 pandemic is essential to better prepare for potential future crises. We sought to assess mortality rates for patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure (HF) and to analyze which factors demonstrated a statistically significant correlation with this primary endpoint. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of acute decompensated HF within the New York City Health and Hospitals 11-hospital system across the different COVID surge periods. Mortality information was collected in 4,405 participants (mean [SD] age 70.54 [14.44] years, 1885 [42.87%] female).The highest mortality existed in the first surge (9.02%), then improved to near prepandemic levels (3.65%) in the second (3.91%) and third surges (5.94%, p < 0.0001). In-hospital mortality inversely correlated with receipt of a COVID-19 vaccination, but had no correlation with left ventricular ejection fraction or the number of vaccination doses. Mortality for acute decompensated HF patients improved after the first surge, suggesting that hospitals adequately adapted to provide quality care. As future infectious outbreaks may occur, emergency preparedness must ensure that adequate focus and resources remain for other clinical entities, such as HF, to ensure optimal care is delivered across all areas of illness.

Interventions for Optimization of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy: A Systematic Review

Importance

Implementation of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in real-world practice remains suboptimal. It is unclear which interventions are most effective at addressing current barriers to GDMT in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).

Objective

To perform a systematic review to identify which types of system-level initiatives are most effective at improving GDMT use among patients with HFrEF.

Evidence Review

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were queried from January 2010 to November 2023 for randomized clinical trials that implemented a quality improvement intervention with GDMT use as a primary or secondary outcome. References from related review articles were also included for screening. Quality of studies and bias assessment were graded based on the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine.

Findings

Twenty-eight randomized clinical trials were included with an aggregate sample size of 19 840 patients. Studies were broadly categorized as interdisciplinary interventions (n = 15), clinician education (n = 5), electronic health record initiatives (n = 6), or patient education (n = 2). Overall, interdisciplinary titration clinics were associated with significant increases in the proportion of patients on target doses of GDMT with a 10% to 60% and 2% to 53% greater proportion of patients on target doses of β-blockers and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors, respectively, in intervention groups compared with usual care. Other interventions, such as audits, clinician and patient education, or electronic health record alerts, were also associated with some improvements in GDMT utilization, though these findings were inconsistent across studies.

Conclusions and Relevance

This review summarizes interventions aimed at optimization of GDMT in clinical practice. Initiatives that used interdisciplinary teams, largely comprised of nurses and pharmacists, most consistently led to improvements in GDMT. Additional large, randomized studies are necessary to better understand other types of interventions, as well as their long-term efficacy and sustainability.

Systems of care for ambulatory management of decompensated heart failure

Heart failure (HF) represents a worldwide health burden and the annual per patient cost to treat HF in the US is estimated at $24,383, with most of this expense driven by HF related hospitalizations. Decompensated HF is a leading cause for hospital admissions and is associated with an increased risk of subsequent morbidity and mortality. Many hospital admissions for decompensated HF are considered preventable with timely recognition and effective intervention.Systems of care that include interventions to facilitate early recognition, timely and appropriate intervention, intensification of care, and optimization to prevent recurrence can help successfully manage decompensated HF in the ambulatory setting and avoid hospitalization.

Effectiveness of care models for chronic disease management: A scoping review of systematic reviews

OBJECTIVE

To conduct a scoping review of models of care for chronic disease management to identify potentially effective components for management of chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

Information sources: Systematic searches of three databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews) from January 2010 to May 2021.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses reporting on the effectiveness of the Chronic Care Model (CCM), collaborative/integrated care, and other chronic disease management models.

DATA

Target diseases, model components used (n = 11), and six outcomes (disease-specific, generic health-related quality of life and functioning, adherence, health knowledge, patient satisfaction, and cost/health care use).

SYNTHESIS

Narrative synthesis, including proportion of reviews documenting outcome benefits.

RESULTS

More than half (55%) of the 186 eligible reviews focused on collaborative/integrated care models, with 25% focusing on CCM and 20% focusing on other chronic disease management models. The most common health conditions were diabetes (n = 22), depression (n = 16), heart disease (n = 12), aging (n = 11), and kidney disease (n = 8). Other single medical conditions were the focus of 22 reviews, multiple medical conditions of 59 reviews, and other or mixed mental health/behavioral conditions of 20 reviews. Some type of quality rating for individual studies was conducted in 126 (68%) of the reviews. Of reviews that assessed particular outcomes, 80% reported disease-specific benefits, and 57% to 72% reported benefits for the other five types of outcomes. Outcomes did not differ by the model category, number or type of components, or target disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there is a paucity of evidence for TBI per se, care model components proven effective for other chronic diseases may be adaptable for chronic TBI care.

Impact of the MEESSI-AHF tool to guide disposition decision-making in patients with acute heart failure in the emergency department: a before-and-after study

OBJECTIVES

To determine the impact of risk stratification using the MEESSI-AHF (Multiple Estimation of risk based on the Emergency department Spanish Score In patients with acute heart failure) scale to guide disposition decision-making on the outcomes of ED patients with acute heart failure (AHF), and assess the adherence of emergency physicians to risk stratification recommendations.

METHODS

This was a prospective quasi-experimental study (before/after design) conducted in eight Spanish EDs which consecutively enrolled adult patients with AHF. In the pre-implementation stage, the admit/discharge decision was performed entirely based on emergency physician judgement. During the post-implementation phase, emergency physicians were advised to 'discharge' patients classified by the MEESSI-AHF scale as low risk and 'admit' patients classified as increased risk. Nonetheless, the final decision was left to treating emergency physicians. The primary outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were days alive and out of hospital, in-hospital mortality and 30-day post-discharge combined adverse event (ED revisit, hospitalisation or death).

RESULTS

The pre-implementation and post-implementation cohorts included 1589 and 1575 patients, respectively (median age 85 years, 56% females) with similar characteristics, and 30-day all-cause mortality was 9.4% and 9.7%, respectively (post-implementation HR=1.03, 95% CI=0.82 to 1.29). There were no differences in secondary outcomes or in the percentage of patients entirely managed in the ED without hospitalisation (direct discharge from the ED, 23.5% vs 24.4%, OR=1.05, 95% CI=0.89 to 1.24). Adjusted models did not change these results. Emergency physicians followed the MEESSI-AHF-based recommendation on patient disposition in 70.9% of cases (recommendation over-ruling: 29.1%). Physicians were more likely to over-rule the recommendation when 'discharge' was recommended (56.4%; main reason: need for hospitalisation for a second diagnosis) than when 'admit' was recommended (12.8%; main reason: no appreciation of severity of AHF decompensation by emergency physician), with an OR for over-ruling the 'discharge' compared with the 'admit' recommendation of 8.78 (95% CI=6.84 to 11.3).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing the MEESSI-AHF risk stratification tool in the ED to guide disposition decision-making did not improve patient outcomes.

MEESSI-AHF score to estimate short-term prognosis of acute heart failure patients in the Emergency Department: a prospective and multicenter study

BACKGROUND

The assessment of acute heart failure (AHF) prognosis is primordial in emergency setting. Although AHF management is exhaustively codified using mortality predictors, there is currently no recommended scoring system for assessing prognosis. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) recommends a comprehensive assessment of global AHF prognosis, considering in-hospital mortality, early rehospitalization rates and the length of hospital stay.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to prospectively evaluate the performance of the Multiple Estimation of risk based on the Emergency department Spanish Score In patients with AHF (MEESSI-AHF) score in estimating short prognosis according to the ESC guidelines.

DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PATIENTS

A multicenter study was conducted between November 2020, and June 2021. Adult patients who presented to eleven French hospitals for AHF were prospectively included.

OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS

According to MEESSI-AHF score, patients were stratified in four categories corresponding to mortality risk: low-, intermediate-, high- and very high-risk groups. The primary outcome was the number of days alive and out of the hospital during the 30-day period following admission to the Emergency Department (ED).

RESULTS

In total, 390 patients were included. The number of days alive and out of the hospital decreased significatively with increasing MEESSI-AHF risk groups, ranging from 21.2 days (20.3-22.3 days) for the low-risk, 20 days (19.3-20.5 days) for intermediate risk,18.6 days (17.6-19.6 days) for the high-risk and 17.9 days (16.9-18.9 days) very high-risk category.

CONCLUSION

Among patients admitted to ED for an episode of AHF, the MEESSI-AHF score estimates with good performance the number of days alive and out of the hospital.

Dyadic Associations Between Burden and Depressive Symptoms Among Patients With Heart Failure and Their Caregivers: The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress

BACKGROUND

Depressive symptoms are prevalent in patients with heart failure and their family caregivers. Given the interpersonal interactions between dyadic individuals with intimate relationship, it is essential to consider the dyads as a unit when exploring the factors associated with depressive symptoms in heart failure patient-caregiver dyads.

OBJECTIVE

The aims of this study were to explore the dyadic effects of burden on depressive symptoms in heart failure patient-caregiver dyads and investigate whether perceived stress acts as a mediator in these relationships.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional study, 237 heart failure patient-caregiver dyads were recruited from 3 hospitals in China between November 2018 and June 2019. Symptom burden, caregiving burden, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms were assessed using self-report questionnaires. The actor-partner interdependence model and actor-partner interdependence mediation model were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

Patients' symptom burden had an actor effect on their own depressive symptoms and a partner effect on their caregivers' depressive symptoms. Similarly, caregivers' caregiving burden had an actor effect on their own depressive symptoms and a partner effect on patients' depressive symptoms. The actor effects between burden and depressive symptoms were partially mediated by their own perceived stress in heart failure patient-caregiver dyads. Furthermore, the partner effect between caregivers' caregiving burden and patients' depressive symptoms was completely mediated by patients' perceived stress.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients' symptom burden and caregivers' caregiving burden aggravated their depressive symptoms by increasing their own perceived stress. Moreover, patients' symptom burden led to caregivers' depressive symptoms, and caregivers' caregiving burden contributed to patients' depressive symptoms through patients' perceived stress. These interdependent relationships suggest that dyadic interventions focused on reducing burden and perceived stress may be beneficial for relieving depressive symptoms in heart failure patient-caregiver dyads.

Person-Centered Models for Cardiovascular Care: A Review of the Evidence: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death and disability in the United States and globally. Disease burden continues to escalate despite technological advances associated with improved life expectancy and quality of life. As a result, longer life is associated with multiple chronic cardiovascular conditions. Clinical guidelines provide recommendations without considering prevalent scenarios of multimorbidity and health system complexities that affect practical adoption. The diversity of personal preferences, cultures, and lifestyles that make up one's social and environmental context is often overlooked in ongoing care planning for symptom management and health behavior support, hindering adoption and compromising patient outcomes, particularly in groups at high risk. The purpose of this scientific statement was to describe the characteristics and reported outcomes in existing person-centered care delivery models for selected cardiovascular conditions. We conducted a scoping review using Ovid MEDLINE, Embase.com, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials through Ovid, and ClinicalTrials.gov from 2010 to 2022. A range of study designs with a defined aim to systematically evaluate care delivery models for selected cardiovascular conditions were included. Models were selected on the basis of their stated use of evidence-based guidelines, clinical decision support tools, systematic evaluation processes, and inclusion of the patient's perspective in defining the plan of care. Findings reflected variation in methodological approach, outcome measures, and care processes used across models. Evidence to support optimal care delivery models remains limited by inconsistencies in approach, variation in reimbursement, and inability of health systems to meet the needs of patients with chronic, complex cardiovascular conditions.

Team based collaborative care model, facilitated by mHealth enabled and trained nurses, for management of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in India (TIME-HF): design and rationale of a parallel group, open label, multi-centric cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating condition associated with enormous public health burden. Management of HF is complex as it requires care-coordination with different cadres of health care providers. We propose to develop a team based collaborative care model (CCM), facilitated by trained nurses, for management of HF with the support of mHealth and evaluate its acceptability and effectiveness in Indian setting. Methods: The proposed study will use mixed-methods research. Formative qualitative research will identify barriers and facilitators for implementing CCM for the management of HF. Subsequently, a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 22 centres (tertiary-care hospitals) and more than 1500 HF patients will be conducted to assess the efficacy of the CCM in improving the overall survival as well as days alive and out of hospital (DAOH) at two-years (CTRI/2021/11/037797). The DAOH will be calculated by subtracting days in hospital and days from death until end of study follow-up from the total follow-up time. Poisson regression with a robust variance estimate and an offset term to account for clustering will be employed in the analyses of DAOH. A rate ratio and its 95% confidence interval (CI) will be estimated. The scalability of the proposed intervention model will be assessed through economic analyses (cost-effectiveness) and the acceptability of the intervention at both the provider and patient level will be understood through both qualitative and quantitative process evaluation methods. Potential Impact: The TIME-HF trial will provide evidence on whether a CCM with mHealth support is effective in improving the clinical outcomes of HF with reduced ejection fraction in India. The findings may change the practice of management of HF in low and middle-income countries.

An evidence map of systematic reviews on models of outpatient care for patients with chronic heart diseases

BACKGROUND

Chronic heart disease affects millions of people worldwide and the prevalence is increasing. By now, there is an extensive literature on outpatient care of people with chronic heart disease. We aimed to systematically identify and map models of outpatient care for people with chronic heart disease in terms of the interventions included and the outcomes measured and reported to determine areas in need of further research.

METHODS

We created an evidence map of published systematic reviews. PubMed, Cochrane Library (Wiley), Web of Science, and Scopus were searched to identify all relevant articles from January 2000 to June 2021 published in English or German language. From each included systematic review, we abstracted search dates, number and type of included studies, objectives, populations, interventions, and outcomes. Models of care were categorised into six approaches: cardiac rehabilitation, chronic disease management, home-based care, outpatient clinic, telemedicine, and transitional care. Intervention categories were developed inductively. Outcomes were mapped onto the taxonomy developed by the COMET initiative.

RESULTS

The systematic literature search identified 8043 potentially relevant publications on models of outpatient care for patients with chronic heart diseases. Finally, 47 systematic reviews met the inclusion criteria, covering 1206 primary studies (including double counting). We identified six different models of care and described which interventions were used and what outcomes were included to measure their effectiveness. Education-related and telemedicine interventions were described in more than 50% of the models of outpatient care. The most frequently used outcome domains were death and life impact.

CONCLUSION

Evidence on outpatient care for people with chronic heart diseases is broad. However, comparability is limited due to differences in interventions and outcome measures. Outpatient care for people with coronary heart disease and atrial fibrillation is a less well-studied area compared to heart failure. Our evidence mapping demonstrates the need for a core outcome set and further studies to examine the effects of models of outpatient care or different interventions with adjusted outcome parameters.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO (CRD42020166330).

Alignment of Doctors' Understanding of Treatment Burden Priorities and Chronic Heart Failure Patients' Experiences: A Nominal Group Technique Consultation

PURPOSE

To identify and rank areas of treatment burden in chronic heart failure (CHF), including solutions, that should be discussed during the clinical encounter from a patient, and doctors' perspective.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with CHF and clinicians managing heart failure were invited. Nominal group technique sessions held either face to face or online in 2021-2022, with individual identification of priorities and voting on ranking.

RESULTS

Four patient groups (N=22) and one doctor group (N=5) were held. For patients with heart failure, in descending order of priority Doctor-patient communication, Inefficiencies of the healthcare system, Healthcare access issues, Cost implications of treatment, Psychosocial impacts on patients and their families, and Impact of treatment work were the most important treatment burdens. Priorities independently identified by the doctors aligned with the patients' but ranking differed. Patient solutions ranged from involvement of nurses or pharmacists to enhance understanding of discharge planning, through to linkage between health information systems, and maintaining strong family or social support networks. Doctors' solutions covered timing medicines with activities of daily living, patient education on the importance of compliance, medication reviews to overcome clinical inertia, and routine clinical audits.

CONCLUSION

The top treatment burden priorities for CHF patients were related to interaction with clinicians and health system inefficiencies, whereas doctors were generally aware of patients' treatment burden but tended to focus on the complexity of the direct treatment work. Addressing the priority issues identified here can commence with clinicians becoming aware of the issues that matter to patients and proactively discussing feasible immediate and longer-term solutions during clinical encounters.

Temporal trends in cardiovascular care: Insights from the COVID-19 pandemic

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, public health care measures have been implemented to limit spread of the contagion and ensure adequate healthcare resource allocation. Correlating with these measures are observed changes in the incidence and outcomes of cardiovascular conditions in the absence of COVID-19 infection. The pandemic has resulted in a reduction in acute coronary syndrome, heart failure and arrhythmia admissions but with worsened outcomes in those diagnosed with these conditions. This is concerning of an underdiagnosis of cardiovascular diseases during the pandemic. Furthermore, cardiovascular services and investigations have decreased to provide healthcare allocation to COVID-19 related services. This threatens an increasing future prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity in healthcare systems that are still adapting to the challenges of a continuing pandemic. Adaption of virtual training and patient care delivery platforms have been shown to be useful, but adequate resources allocation is needed to ensure effectiveness in vulnerable populations.

Effect of Home Care Program on Re-hospitalization in Advanced Heart Failure: A Clinical Trial

Background

Heart failure is the leading cause of readmission in all medical and surgical patients. Home care studies have reduced hospitalization in heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the effect of home care program on readmission in advanced heart failure.

Materials and Methods

The study was a randomized clinical trial conducted at the Rajaie Cardiovascular, Medical and Research Center from September 2017 to March 2018. Ninety-eight patients with advanced heart failure were selected using census method and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, the home care program was implemented for 6 months. The date and frequency of hospitalization were recorded during 30, 90, and 180 days before and after the home care program. The quantitative data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon's signed-rank tests and qualitative data analysis was performed using the Chi-square test.

Results

The number of hospitalization and length of hospital stay 30, 90, and 180 days after implementation of the home care program in the experimental group was significantly less than the control group (p < 0.001). The number of hospitalizations and length of stay in the experimental group decreased significantly after the program (p < 0.001). In the control group, 90 days after the intervention, the number of hospitalizations (p = 0.013) and length of stay increased significantly (p < 0.001), and 180 days after the intervention, increased significantly (p < 0.001).

Conclusions

The implementation of a designed home care program reduces readmission and the length of hospital stay in advanced heart failure.

Association of Early Physician Follow-up With Readmission Among Patients Hospitalized for Acute Myocardial Infarction, Congestive Heart Failure, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

IMPORTANCE

A better understanding of the association between early physician follow-up after discharge and adverse outcomes among hospitalized patients may inform interventions aimed at reducing readmission for common chronic conditions.

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether hospitalized patients with early physician follow-up after discharge had lower rates of overall and condition-specific readmissions within 30 days and 90 days of discharge.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study was conducted among Ontario, Canada, adults with first admission for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during 2005 to 2019. The exposure was follow-up visit with a primary care physician or relevant specialist within 7 days of discharge. Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare patients with vs without early follow-up, adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbidities, weighting by propensity score-based overlap weights. Data were analyzed from January through July 2021.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Primary outcomes were 30-day and 90-day readmissions, cardiac readmissions (readmission for AMI, CHF, or angina) for patients with cardiac conditions, and COPD-related readmissions for patients with COPD. Mortality at 30 days and 90 days was a secondary outcome. All percentages reported in Results are unweighted.

RESULTS

The study cohort comprised 450 746 patients, including 198 854 patients with AMI, 133 058 patients with CHF, and 118 834 patients with COPD; the median (IQR) age was 66 (56-77) years for AMI, 78 (68-85) years for CHF, and 73 (64-81) years for COPD, and there were 64 339 (32.35%) women, 62 575 (47.03%) women, and 59 179 (49.80%) women, respectively. There were 91 182 patients (45.85%), 56 491 patients (42.46%), and 40 159 patients (33.79%), respectively, who received an early follow-up visit. Overall, patients with early follow-up had higher rates of collaborative care (eg, CHF: 20 931 patients [37.85%] vs 11 101 of 76 567 patients [14.85%]) and visits to a specialist within 30 days (eg, CHF: 25 797 patients [45.67%] vs 20 548 patients [26.84%]). Those with early follow-up had lower 90-day readmission rates among patients with CHF (15 934 patients [28.21%] vs 23 121 patients [30.20%]; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99) and among those with COPD (8784 patients [21.87%] vs 18 097 of 78 675 patients [23.00%]; aHR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93-0.98). Among patients with COPD, those with early follow-up had lower 90-day COPD-related readmission rates (4015 patients [10.00%] vs 8449 patients [10.74%]; aHR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.89-0.96), and among patients with CHF, those with early follow-up had lower 90-day mortality rates (4044 patients [7.16%] vs 6281 patients [8.20%]; aHR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.90-0.97). There were no significant benefits at 30 days or for patients with AMI.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

These findings suggest that early follow-up in conjunction with a comprehensive transitional care strategy for hospitalized patients with medically complex conditions coupled with ongoing effective chronic disease management may be associated with reduced 90-day readmissions.

2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" replaces the "2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" and the "2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure." The 2022 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from May 2020 to December 2020, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other relevant databases. Additional relevant clinical trials and research studies, published through September 2021, were also considered. This guideline was harmonized with other American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines published through December 2021. Structure: Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The 2022 heart failure guideline provides recommendations based on contemporary evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to managing patients with heart failure, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' interests. Many recommendations from the earlier heart failure guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data. Value statements are provided for certain treatments with high-quality published economic analyses.

2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure

AIM

The "2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" replaces the "2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" and the "2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure." The 2022 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from May 2020 to December 2020, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other relevant databases. Additional relevant clinical trials and research studies, published through September 2021, were also considered. This guideline was harmonized with other American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines published through December 2021.

STRUCTURE

Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The 2022 heart failure guideline provides recommendations based on contemporary evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to managing patients with heart failure, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' interests. Many recommendations from the earlier heart failure guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data. Value statements are provided for certain treatments with high-quality published economic analyses.

From guideline to daily practice: Implementation of ESC-guidelines considering multidisciplinary and non-pharmacological care in heart failure in three ESC member states, a case study

INTRODUCTION

To alleviate the burden of Heart Failure (HF), the European Society of cardiology developed guidelines (ESC-guidelines) to optimise HF-diagnosis and treatment. These guidelines state that optimal HF-care is organised in a multidisciplinary programme in which pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment is offered. Research has proven that multidisciplinary programmes and effective self-care behaviour significantly reduce HF-mortality and (re)hospitalisation, yet little is known about implementation of these ESC-guidelines. Therefore, the INTERACT study investigated current HF-care processes and guideline adherence in three North-West European regions: Maastricht (the Netherlands), Aachen (Germany) and Noorder-Kempen (Belgium).

METHODS

A case-study approach was adopted to study local implementation of ESC-guidelines considering non-pharmacological- and multidisciplinary care. National guidelines and local protocols were collected and studied to investigate the level of agreement with and implementation of ESC-guidelines. A matrix was developed to analyse the content of national and local guidelines and protocols in terms of non-pharmacological and multidisciplinary care.

RESULTS

All national organisations promote ESC guidelines, and some developed additional national guidelines. In region A, B and C patients receive multidisciplinary care in hospital based HF-outpatient clinics. Moreover, region B and C patients benefit from either structural (region B) or project based (region C) integrated care, in which specialist- and primary care work together to provide seamless care for HF-patients. However, in region A this seamless integrated care remains to be implemented.

CONCLUSION

Although ESC-guidelines recommend clearly considering Multidisciplinary- and non-pharmacological care implementation may differ between regions.

Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction Compared to Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: Insights From the VCOR Heart Failure Snapshot

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is increasing in prevalence, creating a greater public health and economic burden on our health care system. With a rising proportion of hospitalisations for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) compared to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and lack of proven therapies for HFpEF, patient characterisation and defining clinical outcomes are important in determining optimal management of heart failure patients. There is scarce Australian-specific data with regards to the burden of disease of patients with HFpEF which further limits our ability to appropriately manage this syndrome.

AIM

To determine the characteristics, management practices and outcomes of patients with HFpEF compared to patients diagnosed with HFrEF.

METHOD

Data was sourced from the Victorian Cardiac Outcomes Registry-Heart Failure (VCOR-HF) snapshot of patients admitted with acute heart failure to one of 16 Victorian health services between 2014-2017 over one consecutive month annually. Outcomes measured were in-hospital mortality, and 30-day readmission and mortality.

RESULTS

Of the 1,132 HF patients, 436 patients were diagnosed with HFpEF and were more likely to be female (59%) and older (81.5±9.8 vs 73.2±14.5 years). They were also more likely to have hypertension (80%), atrial fibrillation (59.9%), chronic obstructive airways disease (36.2%) and chronic kidney disease (68.8%). Patients with HFrEF were more likely to have ischaemic heart disease with a history of previous myocardial infarction (36.6%), percutaneous coronary intervention and cardiac bypass surgery (35.2%). There were no significant differences in 30-day mortality between HFpEF and HFrEF (10.2% vs 7.8%; p=0.19, respectively) and 30-day readmission rates (22.1% vs 25.9%; p=0.15, respectively).

CONCLUSION

VCOR-HF Snapshot data provides important insight into the burden of acute heart failure. Whilst patients with HFpEF and HFrEF have differing clinical profiles, morbidity, mortality and re-admission rates are similar.

Influence of mutuality on quality of life in heart failure patient with inadequate self-care and caregiver dyads: an actor-partner interdependence model analysis

AIMS

Mutuality, a positive quality of the relationship between patients and their informal caregivers characterized by love and affection, shared pleasurable activities, shared values, and reciprocity, influences several patient-caregiver outcomes in chronic-condition cases, but it remains unknown whether it influences the heart failure (HF) patient-caregiver dyad quality of life (QOL). The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of mutuality and its four dimensions (love and affection, shared pleasurable activities, shared values, and reciprocity) on QOL in HF patient-caregiver dyads.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Cross-sectional study: Using the actor-partner interdependence model, we examined how an individual's mutuality influenced his/her own QOL (actor effect) and his/her partner's QOL (partner effect). Mutuality and physical and mental QOL were measured with the Mutuality Scale and Short Form 12, respectively. A total of 494 HF patient-caregiver dyads were enrolled in the study. Mutuality showed strong evidence of caregiver partner effects on the HF patients' physical QOL (total score B = 2.503, P = 0.001; shared pleasurable activities B = 2.265, P < 0.001; shared values B = 1.174, P = 0.420 and reciprocity B = 1.888, P = 0.001). For the mental QOL, mutuality and its four subscales had actor effects only on the patients' mental health (total mutuality B = 2.646, P = 0.003; love and affection B = 1.599, P = 0.360; shared pleasurable activities B = 2.599, P = 0.001; shared values B = 1.564, P = 0.001 and reciprocity B = 1.739, P = 0.020). In caregivers, mutuality had an actor effects on mental QOL (total score B = 1.548, P = 0.041 and reciprocity B = 1.526, P = 0.009).

CONCLUSION

Our results confirm the important role of mutuality in determining the physical and mental QOL in HF patient-caregiver dyads. Interventions aimed at improving the relationships within HF patient-caregiver dyads may have an impact on HF patients' and caregivers' QOL.

Do we need a simplified model to predict outcomes in patients hospitalized with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure? Results from The Role of Sodium in Heart Failure Outcomes Prediction ('SHOUT-PREDICTION') study

Context

Hyponatremia is associated with high in-hospital mortality in patients with acute decompensated Heart Failure (ADHF) and is one of the components in various risk scores in heart failure (HF). However, some risk scores predict outcomes in these patients without using hyponatremia as its component.

Aim

The study was aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum sodium levels at admission and clinical outcomes during the in-hospital course and three months’ follow-up, in patients admitted in the intensive cardiac care unit (ICCU) with ADHF.

Methods and material

This was a single-center prospective, observational study in which 130 consecutive patients admitted with ADHF were observed for clinical characteristics and blood investigation at admission and their clinical outcomes during the in-hospital course and follow-up of 3 months.

Results

Hyponatremia and systolic blood pressure (SBP) both were found to be the independent predictor of in-hospital mortality. The SXS score (calculated as a product of SBP and serum sodium, divided by 1000) as a new prediction variable was significantly associated with in-hospital mortality and was compared with the Get with the guideline HF (GWTG-HF) score and ADHF national registry (ADHERE) score. The SXS score showed the best overall accuracy in predicting in-hospital mortality [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.899] as compared to the ADHERE (AUC = 0.780) and the GWTG (AUC = 0.815).

Conclusions

A score derived from the product of serum sodium and SBP (SXS score) had a significant association with in-hospital mortality, and better predictive value as compared to GWTG and ADHERE risk score in these patients.

Effectiveness of nurse-led services for people with chronic disease in achieving an outcome of continuity of care at the primary-secondary healthcare interface: A quantitative systematic review

BACKGROUND

Globally, chronic disease is a leading cause of illness, disability and death and an important driver of health system utilization and spending. Continuity of care is a significant component of quality healthcare. However, an association between nurse-led services, interventions, patient outcomes and continuity of care at the primary and secondary interface as an outcome, has not been established for people with chronic disease.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the effectiveness of nurse-led services for people with chronic disease in achieving an outcome of continuity of care at the primary-secondary healthcare interface.

DESIGN

Quantitative systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

Systematic searches of Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Emcare, JBI and Scopus databases were conducted of studies published between 1946 and May 2019 using the search terms "nurse", "continuity of care" and "chronic disease".

REVIEW METHODS

Quality of the included studies was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials and Joanna Briggs Institute quality appraisal checklists. A second reviewer screened 10% of full text articles and all articles in critical appraisal. Studies were excluded from the review if they were of poor methodological quality or the description of the effect of the nurse-led service was inadequately reported.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies were included in the review (n=4,090 participants). All studies incorporated recognized continuity of care interventions. The nurse-led services were associated with fewer hospitalizations, reduced by 2-8.9% and re-admissions reduced by 14.8-51% (n=886). Reporting of positive patient experiences and improvement in symptoms and lifestyle was also evident. An association of nurse-led services with improved continuity of care between primary and secondary health services as an outcome per se could not be concluded.

CONCLUSION

Nurse-led services for adults provide coordinated interventions that support continuity of care for people with chronic disease in both the primary and secondary healthcare settings that are associated with reduced hospitalizations or readmissions and patient satisfaction. However, the limited use of validated continuity of care outcome measurement tools precluded establishing correlations between interventions, patient outcomes and continuity of care as a specific outcome.

Optimization of Heart Failure Patients Discharge Plan in Rajaie Cardiovascular Medical and Research Center: An Action Research

BACKGROUND

Chronic heart failure can lead to frequent hospitalizations. Improving the discharge planning is an approach to reduce hospitalization. Since there has not been enough structured and effective discharge plan in Iranian hospitals, the present study was designed to optimize this program.

METHOD

This is a participatory action research based on Hart and Bond's framework, conducted in a cardiovascular center in Iran from June 2016 to April 2018 during two cycles. Based on the optimization strategies obtained through semi-structured interviews with 15 participants, three focus group discussions and six expert panels, the operational discharge plan, including three areas of patient empowerment, telephone follow-up and home visit, was designed, implemented for three months and evaluated for 23 patients. European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale and information registration form to record the number of hospitalization and length of hospital stay were used to collect the quantitative data. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test was used to analyze the data by SPSS 16. Qualitative participatory evaluation was performed during a group discussion and analyzed based on qualitative content analysis method with conventional approach P<0.05 was statistically significant.

RESULTS

Considering the solutions provided by the participants, the operational discharge plan was designed and implemented with the cooperation of relevant stakeholders. Evaluation showed significant effects of designed discharge plan on self-care behavior (P<0.001), number of hospitalizations (P<0.001), and length of hospital stay (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Changes were made to improve the heart failure patients' discharge plan using action research, which resulted in reduced re-hospitalization and improved self-care behavior.

The impact of cultural and linguistic diversity on hospital readmission in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure

AIMS

Health services worldwide face the challenge of providing care for increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations. The aims of this study were to determine whether CALD patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (HF) are at increased risk of rehospitalization and emergency department (ED) visitation after discharge, compared to non-CALD patients, and within CALD patients to ascertain the impact of limited English proficiency (LEP) on outcomes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A cohort of 1613 patients discharged from hospital following an episode of acute HF was derived from hospital administrative datasets. CALD status was based on both country of birth and primary spoken language. Comorbidities, HF subtype, age, sex and socioeconomic status, and hospital readmission and ED visitation incidences, were compared between groups. A Cox proportional hazard model was employed to adjust for potential confounders. The majority of patients were classified as CALD [1030 (64%)]. Of these, 488 (30%) were designated as English proficient (CALD-EP) and 542 (34%) were designated CALD-LEP. Compared to non-CALD, CALD-LEP patients exhibited a greater cumulative incidence of HF-related readmission and ED visitation, as expressed by an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) [1.27 (1.02-1.57) and 1.40 (1.18-1.67), respectively]; this difference was not significant for all-cause readmission [adjusted HR 1.03 (0.88-1.20)]. CALD-EP showed a non-significant trend towards increased rehospitalization and ED visitation.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that CALD patients with HF, in particular those designated as CALD-LEP, have an increased risk of HF rehospitalization and ED visitation. Further research to elucidate the underlying reasons for this disparity are warranted.

Folate intake, markers of folate status and oral clefts: An updated set of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

BACKGROUND

There has been a longstanding debate about the role of folate in the etiology of orofacial clefts (OFCs). Studies of different measures of nutritional intake or folate status have been done to investigate the possible role of folate in the prevention of OFC. Only one knowledge synthesis has attempted to bring together different types of evidence. The aim of the present work was to update it.

METHODS

Evidence for associations between OFC and dietary folate, supplement use, folic acid fortification, biomarkers of folate status, and variants of MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) were included. Potentially eligible articles were systematically identified from PubMed, Medline, Embase, and Web of Science (2007-2020) and combined using random-effects meta-analysis when appropriate. Quality assessments were conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and Cochrane's risk of bias tool.

RESULTS

Sixty-four studies published since the previous knowledge synthesis were identified, with eight of these identified through a supplementary search from October, 2018 to August, 2020. There was an inverse association between folic acid-containing supplement use before or during pregnancy and cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.51-0.69), with considerable between-study heterogeneity. The prevalence of CL/P showed a small decline post-folic acid fortification in seven studies (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.86-1.02). No association was found between OFC and genetic markers of folate status. The coronavirus-19 pandemic has threatened food availability globally and therefore there is a need to maintain and even enhance surveillance concerning maternal intake of folate and related vitamins.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of non-syndromic OFC was reduced among pregnant women with folic acid-containing supplements during the etiologically relevant period. However, high heterogeneity between included studies, incomplete reporting of population characteristics and variation in timing of exposure and supplement types mean that conclusions should be drawn with caution.

Joint modeling of recurrent events and survival: a Bayesian non-parametric approach

Heart failure (HF) is one of the main causes of morbidity, hospitalization, and death in the western world, and the economic burden associated with HF management is relevant and expected to increase in the future. We consider hospitalization data for HF in the most populated Italian Region, Lombardia. Data were extracted from the administrative data warehouse of the regional healthcare system. The main clinical outcome of interest is time to death and research focus is on investigating how recurrent hospitalizations affect the time to event. The main contribution of the article is to develop a joint model for gap times between consecutive rehospitalizations and survival time. The probability models for the gap times and for the survival outcome share a common patient specific frailty term. Using a flexible Dirichlet process model for %Bayesian nonparametric prior as the random-effects distribution accounts for patient heterogeneity in recurrent event trajectories. Moreover, the joint model allows for dependent censoring of gap times by death or administrative reasons and for the correlations between different gap times for the same individual. It is straightforward to include covariates in the survival and/or recurrence process through the specification of appropriate regression terms. The main advantages of the proposed methodology are wide applicability, ease of interpretation, and efficient computations. Posterior inference is implemented through Markov chain Monte Carlo methods.

The Association Between Mutuality, Anxiety, and Depression in Heart Failure Patient-Caregiver Dyads: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model Analysis

BACKGROUND

Heart failure (HF) patient-caregiver dyads experience severe psychological problems, such as anxiety and depression. A variable that has been found to be associated with anxiety and depression in patients and caregivers in severe chronic conditions is mutuality. However, this association has not been explored in HF patient-caregiver dyads to date.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations among mutuality, anxiety, and depression in HF patient-caregiver dyads.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study. Mutuality, anxiety, and depression in HF patient-caregiver dyads were assessed using the Mutuality Scale (MS) total and 4 dimension scores and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, respectively. Data were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence model to examine how mutuality of patients and caregivers was associated with both the patients' own (actor effect) and their partners' anxiety and depression (partner effect).

RESULTS

A sample of 366 dyads of patients with HF (mean age, 72 years; 56% male) and caregivers (mean age, 54 years; 73.3% female) was enrolled. Regarding patient anxiety, we observed only an actor effect between the MS dimension scores of "love and affection" and "reciprocity" and anxiety in patients (B = -1.108, P = .004 and B = -0.826, P = .029, respectively). No actor and partner effects were observed concerning caregiver anxiety. Regarding depression, we observed that only the MS dimension of "love and affection" in patients had both an actor (patient: B = -0.717, P = .032) and a partner (caregiver: B = 0.710, P = .040) effect on depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The assessment of MS in HF patient-caregiver dyads is important to formulate interventions aimed at improving anxiety and depression in patients and caregivers.

The best person (or machine) for the job: Rethinking task shifting in healthcare

Globally, health systems are faced with the difficult challenge of how to get the best results with the often limited number of health workers available to them. Exacerbating this challenge is the task of meeting ever-changing needs of service users and managing unprecedented technological advances. The process of matching skills to changing needs and opportunities is termed task shifting. It involves questioning health service goals, what health workers do, asking if it can be done in a better way, and implementing change. Task shifting in healthcare is often conceptualised as a process of transferring responsibility for 'simple' tasks from high-skilled but scarce health workers to those with less expertise and lower pay, and predominantly viewed as a means to reduce costs and promote efficiency. Here we present a position paper based on the work and expertise of the European Commission Expert Panel on Effective ways of Investing in Health. It contends that this is over simplistic, and aims to provide a new task shifting framework, informed by relevant evidence, and a series of recommendations. While far from comprehensive, there is a growing body of evidence that certain tasks traditionally undertaken by one type of health worker can be undertaken by others (or machines), in some cases to a higher standard, thus challenging the persistence of rigid professional boundaries. Task shifting has the potential to contribute to health systems strengthening when accompanied by adequate planning, resources, education, training and transparency.

Hospitalization outcome of heart diseases between patients who received medical care by cardiologists and non-cardiologist physicians: A propensity-score matched study

Background and aims

The effects of physician specialty on the outcome of heart disease remains incompletely understood because of inconsistent findings from some previous studies. Our purpose is to compare the admission outcomes of heart disease in patients receiving care by cardiologists and noncardiologist (NC) physicians.

Methods

Using reimbursement claims data of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance from 2008–2013, we conducted a matched study of 6264 patients aged ≥20 years who received a cardiologist’s care during admission for heart disease. Using a propensity score matching procedure adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, medical condition, and type of heart disease, 6264 controls who received an NC physician’s care were selected. Logistic regressions were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for complications and mortality during admission for heart disease associated with a cardiologist’s care.

Results

Patients who received a cardiologist’s care had a lower risk of pneumonia (OR = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.53–0.70), septicemia (OR = 0.49; 95% CI, 0.39–0.61), urinary tract infection (OR = 0.76; 95% CI, 0.66–0.88), and in-hospital mortality (OR = 0.37; 95% CI, 0.29–0.47) than did patients who received an NC physician’s care. The association between a cardiologist’s care and reduced adverse events following admission was significant in both sexes and in patients aged ≥40 years.

Conclusion

We raised the possibility that cardiologist care was associated with reduced infectious complications and mortality among patients who were admitted due to heart disease.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health in the Care of Patients With Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that affects >6.5 million Americans, with an estimated 550 000 new cases diagnosed each year. The complexity of heart failure management is compounded by the number of patients who experience adverse downstream effects of the social determinants of health (SDOH). These patients are less able to access care and more likely to experience poor heart failure outcomes over time. Many patients face additional challenges associated with the cost of complex, chronic illness management and must make difficult decisions about their own health, particularly when the costs of medications and healthcare appointments are at odds with basic food and housing needs. This scientific statement summarizes the SDOH and the current state of knowledge important to understanding their impact on patients with heart failure. Specifically, this document includes a definition of SDOH, provider competencies, and SDOH assessment tools and addresses the following questions: (1) What models or frameworks guide healthcare providers to address SDOH? (2) What are the SDOH affecting the delivery of care and the interventions addressing them that affect the care and outcomes of patients with heart failure? (3) What are the opportunities for healthcare providers to address the SDOH affecting the care of patients with heart failure? We also include a case study ( Data Supplement ) that highlights an interprofessional team effort to address and mitigate the effects of SDOH in an underserved patient with heart failure.

Cardio-geriatric model of care in acute heart failure: initial experience of a multidisciplinary approach in complex elderly patients

A 'cardio-geriatric' heart failure model of care was implemented to address the high rates of readmission in elderly acute decompensated heart failure patients. Despite demonstrably intensified management in both the cardiology and geriatric domains, this study did not demonstrate a positive effect on the primary outcome of all cause readmissions at 30 days.

Re-evaluating the causes and consequences of non-resolving inflammation in chronic cardiovascular disease

Cardiac injuries, like heart attacks, drive the secondary pathology with advanced heart failure. In this process, non-resolving inflammation is a prime component of accelerated cardiovascular disease and subsequent fatal events associated with imbalanced diet, physical inactivity, disrupted circadian rhythms, neuro-hormonal stress, and poly- or co-medication. Laboratory rodents have established that splenic leukocyte-directed resolution mechanisms are essential for cardiac repair after injury. Here, we discuss the impact of three lifestyle-related factors that are prime causes of derailed cardiac healing, putative non-resolving inflammation-resolution mechanisms in cardiovascular diseases, and progressive heart failure after cardiac injury. The presented review resurfaces the lifestyle-related risks and future research directions required to understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms between the causes of cardiovascular disease and their related consequences of non-resolving inflammation.

How to develop a national heart failure clinics network: a consensus document of the Hellenic Heart Failure Association

Heart failure (HF) is rapidly growing, conferring considerable mortality, morbidity, and costs. Dedicated HF clinics improve patient outcomes, and the development of a national HF clinics network aims at addressing this need at national level. Such a network should respect the existing health care infrastructures, and according to the capacities of hosting facilities, it can be organized into three levels. Establishing the continuous communication and interaction among the components of the network is crucial, while supportive actions that can enhance its efficiency include involvement of multidisciplinary health care professionals, use of structured HF‐specific documents, such as discharge notes, patient information leaflets, and patient booklets, and implementation of an HF‐specific electronic health care record and database platform.

Impact of a model of care for heart failure in-patients to reduce variation in care: a quality improvement project

BACKGROUND

We identified variation in delivery of guideline recommended care at our institution, and undertook a project to design a heart failure (HF) model of care.

AIM

To maximise time patients with HF spend well in the community by delivering best practice guidelines to reduce variation in care improving overall outcomes.

METHODS

This quality improvement project focused on reducing variation in process measures of care. The HF model of care included electronic HF care bundles, a patient education pack with staff training on delivering HF patient education, referral of all HF patients to the Hospital Admissions Risk Program for phone call within 72 h, and a nurse-pharmacist early follow-up clinic. Outcomes were assessed using interrupted time series analyses.

RESULTS

The pre-intervention group comprised 1585 patients, and post-intervention 1720 patients with a primary diagnosis of HF admitted under general cardiology and general medicine. Interrupted time series analysis indicated 30-day readmissions did not change in overall trend (-0.2% per month, P = 0.479) but a significant immediate step-down of 7.8% was seen (P = 0.018). For 90-day readmissions, a significant trend reduction over the time period was seen (-0.6% per month, P = 0.017) with a significant immediate step-down (-9.4%, P = 0.001). Emergency department representations, in-patient mortality and length of stay did not change significantly. Improvements in process measures were seen at audit.

CONCLUSION

This model of care resulted in overall trends of reductions in 30- and 90-day readmissions, without increasing emergency department representations, mortality and length of stay. This model will be adapted as the electronic medical record is introduced at our institution.

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.

A National Survey of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers' Cardiology Services

A survey found that of cardiology services were widely available at facilities across the US Department of Veterans Affairs, but the types of services varied considerably based on facility complexity.

May Monocyte/HDL Cholesterol Ratio (MHR) and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) Be an Indicator of Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in Patients with Keratoconus?

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate monocyte/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (MHR) and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in patients with keratoconus (KC).

METHODS

Thirty-one patients with KC (group 1) and 31 healthy control subjects (group 2) were included in the study. All participants' ocular examination findings, clinical and laboratory parameters were obtained from file records and laboratory archives.

RESULTS

When group 1 was compared with group 2, MHR (13.7 ± 5.0 vs. 9.1 ± 3.7; p < .001) and NLR (2.3 ± 0.8 vs. 1.7 ± 0.6; p < .001) were statistically significantly higher in group 1. Optimal MHR cutoff value for KC was calculated as 10.2 with 77.4% sensitivity and 64.5% specificity, and optimal NLR cut-off value for KC was found as 1.9 with 71.4% sensitivity and 55% specificity.

CONCLUSION

MHR and NLR values recognized as indicators of oxidative stress and systemic inflammation were significantly higher in patients with KC compared to the control group.

Economic evaluation of cardiac magnetic resonance with fast-SENC in the diagnosis and management of early heart failure

INTRODUCTION

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health concern, prevalent in millions of people worldwide. The most widely-used HF diagnostic method, echocardiography, incurs a decreased diagnostic accuracy for heart failure disease progression when patients are asymptomatic compared to those who are symptomatic. The purpose of this study is to conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of heart failure diagnosis comparing echocardiography to a novel myocardial strain assessment (Fast-SENC), which utilizes cardiac-tagged magnetic resonance imaging.

METHODS

We develop two models, one from the perspective of payers and one from the perspective of purchasers (hospitals). The payer model is a cost-effectiveness model composed of a 1-year short-term model and a lifetime horizon model. The hospital/purchaser model is a cost impact model where expected costs are calculated by multiplying cost estimates of each subcomponent by the accompanying probability.

RESULTS

The payer model shows lower healthcare costs for Fast-SENC in comparison to ECHO ($24,647 vs. $39,097) and a lifetime savings of 37% when utilizing Fast-SENC. Similarly, the hospital model revealed that the total cost per HF patient visit is $184 for ECHO and $209 for Fast-SENC, which results in hospital contribution margins of $81 and $115, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Fast-SENC is associated with higher quality-adjusted life years and lower accumulated expected healthcare costs than echocardiogram patients. Fast-SENC also shows a significant short-term and lifetime cost-savings difference and a higher hospital contribution margin when compared to echocardiography. These results suggest that early discovery of heart failure with methods like Fast-SENC can be cost-effective when followed by the appropriate treatment.

PROCESS AND SYSTEMS: A cohort study to evaluate the impact of service centralisation for emergency admissions with acute heart failure

The aim of our study was to describe the impact of emergency care centralisation on unscheduled admissions with a primary discharge diagnosis of acute heart failure (HF). We carried out a retrospective cohort study of HF admissions 1 year before and 1 year after centralisation of three accident and emergency departments into one within a single large NHS trust. Outcomes included mortality, length of stay, readmissions, specialist inpatient input and follow-up, and prescription rates of stabilising medication. Baseline characteristics were similar for 211 patients before and for 307 following reconfiguration. Median length of stay decreased from 8 to 6 days (p=0.020) without an increase in readmissions (4.7% versus 4.2%, p=0.813). The proportion with specialist follow-up increased (60% to 72%, p=0.036). There was a trend towards decreased mortality (32.2% versus 27.7% at 90 days; p=0.266). Contact with the cardiology team was associated with decreased mortality. In conclusion, centralisation of specialist emergency care was associated with greater service efficiency and a trend towards reduced mortality.

Focused Treatment of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction Using Sacubitril/Valsartan

The clinical syndrome of heart failure (HF) can be described as the reduced capacity of the heart to deliver blood throughout the body. To compensate for inadequate tissue perfusion, the renin–angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) and the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) become activated, resulting in increased blood pressure, heart rate, and blood volume. Consequent activation of the natriuretic peptide system (NPS) typically balances these effects; however, the NPS is unable to sustain compensation for excessive neurohormonal activation over time. Until recently, mortality benefits have been provided to patients with HF only by therapies that target the RAAS and SNS, including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and beta-blockers. Sacubitril/valsartan, the first-in-class angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), targets both the NPS and RAAS to further improve clinical outcomes. This review discusses the focused management of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and suggests changes to current management paradigms. From this assessment, the evidence supports favoring sacubitril/valsartan over ACEIs or ARBs, and this therapy should be used in conjunction with beta-blockers to further decrease morbidity and mortality in patients with HFrEF.

Seasonal variation of novel arterial stiffness indexes in Japanese hypertensive patients

Background and Objective: Seasonal variation of blood pressure (BP) is well known, and a relationship between increases in BP and the incidence of cardiovascular accidents (CVAs) in the winter has been reported. Parameters of arterial stiffness may exhibit seasonal variation; however, available data are currently limited. Novel arterial stiffness indexes, namely the arterial velocity pulse index (AVI) and arterial pressure-volume index (API), can be determined through usual maneuver for BP measurement during the regular examination in the outpatient clinic.The present study assessed the seasonal variation of AVI and API in 59 hypertensive patients undergoing stable treatment and regularly visiting our outpatient clinic over a period of 30 months. Methods: BP, pulse rate (PR), AVI, and API were measured using the AVE-1500 (Pasesa) in the sitting position. Six time frames of assessment were established. All measurements (average: 17.9 measurements per person) were sorted using these six time frames, and their averages were used for analysis. Results: Significant seasonal variations in PR (P < 0.001) and AVI (P < 0.001), along with weak variation in systolic BP (SBP) (P = 0.047) and marginal variation in API (P = 0.055), were confirmed by repeated analysis of variance. SBP, API, and PR were decreased, whereas AVI was increased in the summer. Coefficient variations were SBP 5.1%, PR 4.9%, AVI 12.6%, and API 10.6%. Conclusion: AVI was associated with reflected wave like as augmentation index. Thus, a high AVI may suggest increased central wave reflection. Although the significance of seasonal variation of AVI remains unknown, AVI may influence seasonal variations in the incidence of CVA.