Heart failure in the elderly: ten peculiar management considerations

Chronic heart failure (HF) is a disease with significantly higher prevalence in the elderly or patients older than 65 years old. Typically, older patients have more risk factors for HF, more comorbidities, and are more likely to have recurrent admissions for acute decompensations. With HF burden on health care systems primarily related to hospital and nursing home costs, it is critical that elderly patients are approached with a clear understanding of certain unique clinical, laboratory, imaging, and pharmacokinetic differences that can alter their management and outcomes. Psychosocial factors have major implications on adherence to therapy as well as decisions on advanced care for elderly HF patients. In this article, we highlight ten peculiar management considerations when approaching older patients with HF. We discuss issues related to epidemiology, diagnostic challenges, pharmacotherapy, and palliative care; all of which can impact this unique population and, more importantly, the disease burden as a whole.

Safety and tolerability of intensified, N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide-guided compared with standard medical therapy in elderly patients with congestive heart failure: results from TIME-CHF

AIMS

NT-proBNP-guided therapy results in intensification of medical heart failure (HF) therapy and is suggested to improve outcome. However, it is feared that an intensified, NT-proBNP-guided therapy carries a risk of adverse effects. Therefore, the safety and tolerability of NT-proBNP-guided therapy in the Trial of Intensified vs standard Medical therapy in Elderly patients with Congestive Heart Failure (TIME-CHF) was assessed.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 495 chronic HF patients, aged ≥60, with an LVEF ≤45%, NYHA class ≥II, randomized to NT-proBNP-guided or symptom-guided therapy and ≥1 month follow-up were included in the present safety analysis. All adverse events (AEs) were recorded during the 18-month trial period. A total of 5212 AEs were noted, 433 of them serious. NT-proBNP-guided therapy led to a higher up-titration of HF medication and was well tolerated, with a dropout rate (12% vs. 11%, P = 1.0) and AE profile [number of AEs/patient-year 4.7 (2.8-9.4) vs. 5.4 (2.7-11.4), P = 0.69; number of severe AEs/patient-year 0.7 (0-2.7) vs. 1.3 (0-3.9), P = 0.21] similar to that of symptom-guided therapy, although most subjects in both treatment groups (96% vs. 95%, P = 0.55) experienced at least one AE. Age and number of co-morbidities were associated with AEs and interacted with the safety profile of NT-proBNP-guided therapy: positive effects were more frequent in younger and less co-morbid patients whereas potential negative effects-although small and related to non-severe AEs only-were only seen in the older and more co-morbid patients.

CONCLUSIONS

NT-proBNP-guided therapy is safe in elderly and highly co-morbid HF patients. Trial registration ISRCTN43596477.

Use of a homecare electronic health record to find associations between patient characteristics and re-hospitalizations in patients with heart failure using telehealth

Data from homecare electronic health records were used to explore the association of patient characteristics with re-hospitalizations of patients with heart failure (HF) during a 60-day period of telemonitoring following hospital discharge. Data from 403 Medicare patients with HF who had used telehealth from 2008 to 2010 were analysed. There were 112 all-cause (29%) and 73 cardiac-related (19%) re-hospitalizations within 60 days of the start of telemonitoring. In adjusted analyses, the patients' number of medications and type of cardiac medications were significantly (P < 0.05) associated with an increased risk of re-hospitalization. After stratifying the sample by illness severity, age and gender, other significant (P < 0.05) predictors associated with an increased risk of all-cause and cardiac re-hospitalization were psychiatric co-morbidity, pulmonary and obesity co-morbidities within gender, beta blocker prescription in females and primary HF diagnosis in the oldest age stratum. The study's findings may assist homecare agencies seeking to allocate resources without compromising patient care.

[Heart failure patients in Primary Care: aging, comorbidities and polypharmacy]

OBJECTIVE

To assess heart failure prevalence, epidemiology, co-morbidities and polypharmacy in our region from electronic patient records. To evaluate gender differences in heart failure patients.

DESIGN

Descriptive, cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Primary care Lleida (Spain).

PARTICIPANTS

All patients from 21 primary care centers with the diagnosis of heart failure in medical records were included.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS

Demographic data, comorbidities and therapeutical subgroups in patients with a diagnosis of heart failure in their clinical record.

RESULTS

Heart failure was found in 0.99% (3017 from 306229 patients), of whom 59% were women, and a mean age of 80 years. Comorbidities: hypertension 67%, diabetes 30%, hyperlipidemia 26.5%, obesity 27%, ischemic heart disease 19%, stroke 11%, atrial fibrillation 31%, COPD 26%, renal failure 12%. Hypertension, hyperlipidemia and obesity were more frequent in women, COPD, ischemic heart disease and renal failure in men. There were no differences in diabetes, stroke and atrial fibrillation. Patients were prescribed a median of 8 different therapeutic subgroups (P25=6 and P75=11). Women were more frequently prescribed diuretics (76%), cardiac glycosides (22%) and ACE inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor antagonists, and men ACE inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor antagonists in combination with beta-blockers.

CONCLUSIONS

Heart failure patients in primary care are elderly, with significant co-morbidities and treated with a high number of drugs. Gender differences exist in cardiovascular risk factors, co-morbidities, and also in therapy.

Cardiac rehabilitation in very old patients: data from the Italian Survey on Cardiac Rehabilitation-2008 (ISYDE-2008)--official report of the Italian Association for Cardiovascular Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Epidemiology

BACKGROUND

Using data from the Italian SurveY on carDiac rEhabilitation-2008 (ISYDE-2008), this study provides insight into the level of implementation of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in very old cardiac patients.

METHODS

Data from 165 CR units were collected online from January 28 to February 10, 2008.

RESULTS

The study cohort consisted of 2,281 patients (66.9 ± 11.8 years): 1,714 (62.4 ± 9.6 years, 78% male) aged<75 years and 567 aged ≥ 75 years (80.8 ± 4.5 years, 59% male). Compared with adults, a higher percentage of older patients were referred to CR programs after cardiac surgery or acute heart failure and showed more acute phase complications and comorbidity. Older patients were less likely discharged to home, more likely transferred to nursing homes, or discharged with social networks activation. Older patients had higher death rate during CR programs (odds ratio = 4.6; 95% confidence interval = 1.6-12.9; p = .004).

CONCLUSION

The ISYDE-2008 survey provided a detailed snapshot of CR in very old cardiac patients.

Heart failure and adverse drug reactions among hospitalized older adults

The aim of this study was to assess whether heart failure (HF) could be a risk factor for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among hospitalized older adults. This study included 19,496 patients admitted to community- and university-based hospitals in Italy (mean age 70 +/- 14 years; 49.7% female). ADRs were identified in 207 of the 2,413 (8.6%) patients with HF and in 855 (5.0%) of the 17,083 patients without HF (P < 0.001). After adjusting for potential confounders, HF was shown to be associated with an increased likelihood of experiencing an ADR (odds ratio (OR) 1.29; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.56). After stratifying the sample by gender, the association continued to be seen in the women (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.22-2.05) but not in the men (OR 0.99; 95% CI 0.74-1.34). In conclusion, HF appears to be associated with a higher rate of ADRs among hospitalized patients. Gender may influence the effect of HF on the risk of ADRs.