The State of Heart Failure Care in Canada: Minimal Improvement in Readmissions Over Time Despite an Increased Number of Evidence-Based Therapies

Challenges in Promoting Health Equity and Reducing Disparities in Access Across New and Established Technologies

Medical innovations and novel technologies stand to improve the return on high levels of health spending in developed countries, particularly in cardiovascular care. However, cardiac innovations also disrupt the landscape of accessing care, potentially creating disparities in who has access to novel and extant technologies. These disparities might disproportionately harm vulnerable groups, including those whose nonmedical conditions-including social determinants of health-inhibit timely access to diagnoses, referrals, and interventions. We first document the barriers to access novel and existing technologies in isolation, then proceed to document their interaction. Novel cardiac technologies might affect existing available services, and change the landscape of care for vulnerable patient groups who seek access to cardiology services. There is a clear need to identify and heed lessons learned from the dissemination of past innovations in the development, funding, and dissemination of future medical technologies to promote equitable access to cardiovascular care. We conclude by highlighting and synthesizing several policy implications from recent literature.

Heart failure clinic inclusion and exclusion criteria: cross-sectional study of clinic's and referring provider's perspectives

OBJECTIVES

There are substantial variations in entry criteria for heart failure (HF) clinics, leading to variations in whom providers refer for these life-saving services. This study investigated actual versus ideal HF clinic inclusion or exclusion criteria and how that related to referring providers' perspectives of ideal criteria.

DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS

Two cross-sectional surveys were administered via research electronic data capture to clinic providers and referrers (eg, cardiologists, family physicians and nurse practitioners) across Canada.

MEASURES

Twenty-seven criteria selected based on the literature and HF guidelines were tested. Respondents were asked to list any additional criteria. The degree of agreement was assessed (eg, Kappa).

RESULTS

Responses were received from providers at 48 clinics (37.5% response rate). The most common actual inclusion criteria were newly diagnosed HF with reduced or preserved ejection fraction, New York Heart Association class IIIB/IV and recent hospitalisation (each endorsed by >74% of respondents). Exclusion criteria included congenital aetiology, intravenous inotropes, a lack of specialists, some non-cardiac comorbidities and logistical factors (eg, rurality and technology access). There was the greatest discordance between actual and ideal criteria for the following: inpatient at the same institution (κ=0.14), congenital heart disease, pulmonary hypertension or genetic cardiomyopathies (all κ=0.36). One-third (n=16) of clinics had changed criteria, often for non-clinical reasons. Seventy-three referring providers completed the survey. Criteria endorsed more by referrers than clinics included low blood pressure with a high heart rate, recurrent defibrillator shocks and intravenous inotropes-criteria also consistent with guidelines.

CONCLUSIONS

There is considerable agreement on the main clinic entry criteria, but given some discordance, two levels of clinics may be warranted. Publicising evidence-based criteria and applying them systematically at referral sources could support improved HF patient care journeys and outcomes.

HFpEF and sex: understanding the role of sex differences

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome with many etiological factors and complex pathophysiology affecting millions worldwide. Males and females can have distinct clinical presentation and prognosis, and there is an emerging understanding of the factors that highlight the similarities and differences to synthesize and present available data for sex-specific differences in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). While the majority of data demonstrate more similarities than differences between females and males in terms of heart failure, there are key differences. Data showed that females have a higher risk of developing HFpEF, but a lower risk of mortality and hospitalization. This can be conditioned by different profiles of comorbidities, postmenopausal changes in sex hormone levels, higher levels of inflammation and chronic microvascular dysfunction in females. These factors, combined with different left ventricular dimensions and function, which are more pronounced with age, lead to a higher prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction at rest and exercise. As a result, females have lower exercise capacity and quality of life when compared to males. Females also have different activities of systems responsible for drug transformation, leading to different efficacy of drugs as well as higher risk of adverse drug reactions. These data prove the necessity for creating sex-specific risk stratification scales and treatment plans.

The Efficacy of Self-care Behaviors, Educational Interventions, and Follow-up Strategies on Hospital Readmission and Mortality Rates in Patients with Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF), a worldwide epidemic with significant morbidity and mortality risks, is frequently secondary to cardiovascular disorders and probably is the common final way to survive patients. Almost 25% of hospitalized patients with acute HF are expected to be readmitted within 30 days post-discharge, and the rates of rehospitalization increase to almost one-third at 60 days and 60 percent within one year of discharge. Although care planning for patients with heart failure is complex, multidisciplinary, and resource-dependent, optimal self-care management along with appropriate educational intervention and follow-up strategy could be able to reduce readmissions, decline the duration of hospitalization, increase life expectancy, decrease the rates of mortality, and reduce costs of healthcare services for patients with HF. However, there are contradictions in previous reports about the efficacy of self-care, mainly due to patients' non-adherence to self-care behaviors. Therefore, the current study aimed to review the investigations on the effectiveness of self-care of HF patients in reducing hospital readmissions and increasing quality of life, and discuss novel approaches for predischarge educational interventions and postdischarge follow-up strategies.

Access to Heart Failure Services in Canada: Findings of the Heart and Stroke National Heart Failure Resources and Services Inventory

BACKGROUND

The rising incidence of heart failure (HF) in Canada necessitates commensurate resources dedicated to its management. Several health system partners launched an HF Action Plan to understand the current state of HF care in Canada and address inequities in access and resources.

METHODS

A national Heart Failure Resources and Services Inventory (HF-RaSI) was conducted from 2020 to 2021 of all 629 acute care hospitals and 20 urgent care centres in Canada. The HF-RaSI consisted of 44 questions on available resources, service,s and processes across acute care hospitals and related ambulatory settings.

RESULTS

HF-RaSIs were completed by 501 acute care hospitals and urgent care centres, representing 94.7% of all HF hospitalisations across Canada. Only 12.2% of HF care was provided by hospitals with HF expertise and resources, and 50.9% of HF admissions were in centres with minimal outpatient or inpatient HF capabilities. Across all Canadian hospitals, 28.7% did not have access to B-type natriuretic peptide testing, and only 48.1% had access to on-site echocardiography. Designated HF medical directors were present at 21.6% of sites (108), and 16.2% sites (81) had dedicated inpatient interdisciplinary HF teams. Among all of the sites, 28.1% (141) were HF clinics, and of those, 40.4% (57) had average wait times from referral to first appointment of more than 2 weeks.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant gaps and geographic variation in delivery and access to HF services exist in Canada. This study highlights the need for provincial and national health systems changes and quality improvement initiatives to ensure equitable access to the appropriate evidence-based HF care.

Ambulatory pulmonary artery pressure monitoring reduces costs and improves outcomes in symptomatic heart failure: a single center Canadian experience

Background

Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) monitoring reduces heart failure (HF) hospitalizations (HFHs) and improves quality of life in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III HF. We evaluated the impact of PAP monitoring on outcomes and health spending in a Canadian ambulatory HF cohort.

Methods

Twenty NYHA III HF patients underwent wireless PAP implantation at Foothills Medical Centre, Calgary, Alberta. Baseline, and 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month assessments of laboratory parameters, hemodynamics, 6-minute walk text and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire scores were collected. Healthcare costs 1 year pre- and post-implantation were collected from administrative databases.

Results

Mean age was 70.6 years; 45% were female. Results were as follows: an 88% reduction in emergency room visits (P = 0.0009); an 87% reduction in HFHs (P < 0.0003); a 29% reduction in heart function clinic visits (P = 0.033), and a 178% increase in nurse calls (P < 0.0002). Questionnaire and 6-minute walk test scores at baseline vs last follow-up were 45.4 vs 48.4 (P = 0.48) and 364.4 vs 402.8 m (P = 0.58), respectively. Mean PAP at baseline vs follow-up was 31.5 vs 24.8 mm Hg (P = 0.005). NYHA class improved by at least one class in 85% of patients. Mean measurable HF-related spending preimplantation was CAD$29,814 per patient per year and postimplantation was CAD$25,642 per patient per year (including device cost).

Conclusions

PAP monitoring demonstrated reductions in HFHs, and emergency room and heart function clinic visits, with improvements in NYHA class. Although further economic evaluation is needed, these results support the use of PAP monitoring as an effective and cost-neutral tool in HF management in appropriately selected patients in a publicly funded healthcare system.