Management of Heart Failure With Outpatient Technology

Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: The Role of Cardiovascular and Lung Ultrasound beyond Ejection Fraction

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is considered a major health care problem with frequent decompensations, high hospitalization and mortality rates. In severe heart failure (HF), the symptoms are refractory to medical treatment and require advanced therapeutic strategies. Early recognition of HF sub- and decompensation is the cornerstone of the timely treatment intensification and, therefore, improvement in the prognosis. Echocardiography is the gold standard for the assessment of systolic and diastolic functions. It allows one to obtain accurate and non-invasive measurements of the ventricular function in HF. In severely compromised HF patients, advanced cardiovascular ultrasound modalities may provide a better assessment of intracardiac hemodynamic changes and subclinical congestion. Particularly, cardiovascular and lung ultrasound allow us to make a more accurate diagnosis of subclinical congestion in HFrEF. The aim of this review was to summarize the advantages and limitations of the currently available ultrasound modalities in the ambulatory monitoring of patients with HFrEF.

Treatment outcomes and associated factors among chronic ambulatory heart failure patients at Jimma Medical Center, South West Ethiopia: prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Heart failure has been one of the major causes of hospitalization across the world. Focusing on the treatment outcomes of ambulatory heart failure patients will reduce the burden of heart failure such as hospitalization and improve patient quality of life. Even if research is conducted on acute heart failure patients, there is limited data about treatment outcomes of chronic ambulatory heart failure patients. Therefore, this study aimed to assess treatment outcomes and associated factors of chronic ambulatory heart failure patients at Jimma Medical Center, South West Ethiopia.

METHODS

A hospital-based prospective observational study was conducted on 242 chronic ambulatory heart failure patients at Jimma Medical Center from November 2020 to June 2021. The data were collected with pretested data collection format, and analyzed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression model were used to identify factors associated with treatment outcomes of outpatient heart failure, and with a reported p value < 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) was considered statistical significance.

RESULT

From 242 patients, 126 (52.1%) were males and 121 (50.0%) patients were aged between 45 and 65 years. Regarding treatment outcomes, 51 (21.1%) of patients were hospitalized, and 58 (24.0%) and 28 (11.6%) of patients had worsened and improved clinical states respectively. Clinical inertia [AOR = 2.820; 95% CI (1.301, 6.110), p = 0.009], out-of-pocket payment [AOR = 2.790; 95% CI (1.261, 6.172), p = 0.011] and New York Heart Association class II [AOR = 2.534; 95% CI (1.170, 5.488), p = 0.018] were independent predictors of hospitalization.

CONCLUSION

Hospitalization of ambulatory heart failure patients was relatively high. More than half of the patients had clinical inertia. And also, this study showed most ambulatory HF patients had inadequate self-care. Clinical inertia, out-of-pocket payment, and New York Heart Association class II were independent predictors of hospitalization in ambulatory heart failure patients. Therefore, it is better to give more attention to ambulatory heart failure patients to prevent hospitalization and the burden of heart failure.

Reduction of Hospitalization and Mortality by Echocardiography-Guided Treatment in Advanced Heart Failure

In advanced heart failure (AHF) clinical evaluation fails to detect subclinical HF deterioration in outpatient settings. The aim of the study was to determine whether the strategy of intensive outpatient echocardiographic monitoring, followed by treatment modification, reduces mortality and re-hospitalizations at 12 months. Methods: 214 patients with ejection fraction < 30% and >1 hospitalization during the last year underwent clinical evaluation and echocardiography at discharge and were divided into intensive (IMG; N = 143) or standard monitoring group (SMG; N = 71). In IMG, volemic status and left ventricular filling pressure were assessed 14, 30, 90, 180 and 365 days after discharge. HF treatment, particularly diuretic therapy, was temporarily intensified when HF deterioration signs and E/e’ > 15 were detected. In SMG, standard outpatient monitoring without obligatory echocardiography at outpatient visits was performed. Results: We observed lower hospitalization (absolute risk reduction [ARR]-0.343, CI-95%: 0.287−0.434, p < 0.05; number needed to treat [NNT]-2.91) and mortality (ARR-0.159, CI 95%: 0.127−0.224, p < 0.05; NNT-6.29) in IMG at 12 months. One-year survival was 88.8% in IMG and 71.8% in SMG (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In AHF, outpatient monitoring of volemic status and intracardiac filling pressures to individualize treatment may potentially reduce hospitalizations and mortality at 12 months follow-up. Echocardiography-guided outpatient therapy is feasible and clinically beneficial, providing evidence for the larger application of this approach.