Telemonitoring for patients with chronic heart failure: a systematic review

BackgroundTelemonitoring, the use of communication technology to remotely monitor health status, is an appealing strategy for improving disease management.Methods and ResultsWe searched Medline databases, bibliographies, and spoke with experts to review the evidence on telemonitoring in heart failure patients. Interventions included: telephone-based symptom monitoring (n = 5), automated monitoring of signs and symptoms (n = 1), and automated physiologic monitoring (n = 1). Two studies directly compared effectiveness of 2 or more forms of telemonitoring. Study quality and intervention type varied considerably. Six studies suggested reduction in all-cause and heart failure hospitalizations (14% to 55% and 29% to 43%, respectively) or mortality (40% to 56%) with telemonitoring. Of the 3 negative studies, 2 enrolled low-risk patients and patients with access to high quality care, whereas 1 enrolled a very high-risk Hispanic population. Studies comparing forms of telemonitoring demonstrated similar effectiveness. However, intervention costs were higher with more complex programs ($8383 per patient per year) versus less complex programs ($1695 per patient per year).ConclusionThe evidence base for telemonitoring in heart failure is currently quite limited. Based on the available data, telemonitoring may be an effective strategy for disease management in high-risk heart failure patients.     

伊伐布雷定治疗慢性收缩性心力衰竭的效果

目的 探讨伊伐布雷定治疗慢性收缩性心力衰竭的临床疗效。方法 入选左室收缩功能不全并发慢性心力衰竭且为窦性心率≥70次/min患者76例,随机分为伊伐布雷定组（试药组,39例）和常规治疗组（对照组,37例）,在2周、4周、6周及3个月时随访,记录其心率、血压、心血管不良事件、药物剂量。入院后及3个月行6分钟步行试验及心脏彩超。结果 3个月时,与对照组相比,试药组心率显著降低［(72±5)次/min vs.(62±4)次/min,P<0.05］,血压显著升高［(116±8) mmHg vs.(123±7) mmHg,P<0.05］,左室射血分数显著提高（P<0.05）,左室收缩末内径及左房直径较对照组显著减小［分别(4.6±0.3) cm vs.(4.1±0.2) cm;(4.0±0.4) cm vs.(3.7±0.2) cm,均P<0.05］。6分钟步行距离显著增加［(522±81) m vs.(578±91) m,P<0.05］;两组心功能分级至少增加1级,试药组左室射血分数改善更显著（62% vs. 35%,P<0.05）。结论 伊伐布雷定治疗慢性收缩性心力衰竭的疗效优于常规治疗。     

Aerobic exercise effect on prognostic markers for systolic heart failure patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

From previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses, there is consensus about the positive effect of exercise training on exercise capacity for systolic heart failure (HF); however, the effect on actual prognostic markers such as NTproBNP and minute ventilation/carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO₂) slope has not been evaluated. The primary aim of the proposed study is to determine the effect of aerobic exercise training (AEX) on the VE/VCO₂ slope and NTproBNP. The following databases (up to February 30, 2013) were searched with no language limitations: CENTRAL (The Cochrane Library 2013, issue 2), MEDLINE (from January 1966), EMBASE (from January 1980), and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) (from January 1929). We screened reference lists of articles and also conducted an extensive hand search of the literature. Randomized controlled trials of exercise-based interventions with 2-month follow-up or longer compared to usual medical care or placebo were included. The study population comprised adults aged between 18 and 65 years, with evidence of chronic systolic heart failure (LVEF < 45 % and baseline NTproBNP > 300 pg/ml). Two review authors independently extracted data on study design, participants, interventions, and outcomes. We assessed the risk of bias using PEDro scale. We calculated mean differences (MD) or standardized mean differences between intervention and control groups for outcomes with sufficient data; for other outcomes, we described findings from individual studies. Eight studies involving a total of 408 participants met the inclusion criteria across the NTproBNP (5 studies with 191 patients) and VE/VCO₂ slope (4 studies with 217 patients). Aerobic exercise significantly improved NTproBNP by a MD of ?817.75 [95 % confidence interval (CI) ?929.31 to ?706.19]. Mean differences across VE/VCO₂ slope were ?6.55 (95 % CI ?7.24 to ?5.87). Those patients’ characteristics and exercise were similar (frequency = 3–5 times/week; duration = 20–50 min/day; intensity = 60–80 % of VO₂ peak) on the included studies. Moreover, the risk of bias across all studies was homogeneous (PEDro scale = 7–8 points). However, based on the statistical analysis, the heterogeneity among the studies was still high, which is related to the variable characteristics of the studies. Aerobic exercise may be effective at improving NTproBNP and the VE/VCO₂ slope in systolic HF patients, but these effects are limited to a specific HF population meeting specific inclusion criterion in a limited number of studies. Future randomized controlled studies including diastolic and HF overleap with pulmonary diseases are needed to better understand the exact influence of AEX.     

The prognostic significance of renal dysfunction in patients with chronic systolic heart failure

Renal insufficiency is an independent powerful predictor of morbidity and mortality in a number of cardiovascular disorders. A number of retrospective analyses of large heart failure trials have shown that even mild renal insufficiency has powerful negative predictive power in patients with both mild and severe heart failure. We discuss the available data on the prognostic value of mild renal insufficiency in heart failure, as well as possible mechanisms of this phenomenon. Future research should focus on its possible pathophysiology.     

The relevance of heart failure severity for treatment with evidence-based pharmacotherapy in general practice

AIMS: Internationally, research indicates that pharmacotherapy for chronic heart failure (CHF) is sub-optimal. Traditionally, assessment of drug use in heart failure has focused on the use of individual agents irrespective of CHF severity. This study investigates drug use for CHF patients in general practice with respect to the available evidence, incorporating both disease severity and the use of combination drug regimes. METHODS AND RESULTS: A cross-sectional survey of 769 Dutch CHF patients was performed as part of IMPROVEMENT of HF study. For each New York Heart Association severity classification the minimum treatment appropriate for the heart failure severity according to the scientific evidence available at the time of the study (1999) was defined. The proportion of patients treated with each drug increased with increasing severity, with the exception of the beta-blockers. Patients with less severe heart failure were approximately four to eight times more likely to receive evidence-based treatment than those with more severe heart failure. DISCUSSION: To assess pharmacological treatment of heart failure, in relation to the available evidence, it is important to take severity into account. While the number of drugs prescribed increased with increasing severity, the use of evidence-based regimes was lower in patients with more severe heart failure.     

Depression is a major determinant of quality of life in patients with chronic systolic heart failure in general practice

BackgroundQuality of life (QoL) is severely restricted in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Patients frequently suffer from depressive comorbidity. It is not clear, to what extent sociodemographic variables, heart failure severity, somatic comorbidities and depression determine QoL of patients with CHF in primary care.Methods and ResultsIn a cross-sectional analysis, 167 patients, 68.2 ± 10.1 years old, 68.9% male, New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II-IV, Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40%, were recruited in their general practitioner's practices. Heart failure severity was assessed with echocardiography and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP); multimorbidity was assessed with the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS-G). QoL was measured with the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and depression with the depression module of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Significant correlations with all SF-36 subscales were only found for the CIRS-G (r = −0.18 to −0.36; P < .05) and the PHQ-9 (r = −0.26 to −0.75; P < .01). In multivariate forward regression analyses, the PHQ-9 summary score explained the most part of QoL variance in all of the SF-36 subscales (r² = 0.17–0.56). LVEF and NT-proBNP did not have significant influence on QoL.ConclusionsDepression is a major determinant of quality of life in patients with chronic systolic heart failure, whereas somatic measures of heart failure severity such as NT-proBNP and LVEF do not contribute to quality of life. Correct diagnosis and treatment of depressive comorbidity in heart failure patients is essential.     

Resistance exercise enhances oxygen uptake without worsening cardiac function in patients with systolic heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Recent literature suggests that resistance training (RT) improves peak oxygen uptake (\( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) peak), similarly to aerobic exercise (AE) in patients with heart failure (HF), but its effect on cardiac remodeling is controversial. Thus, we examined the effects of RT and AE on \( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) peak and cardiac remodeling in patients with heart failure (HF) via a systematic review and meta-analysis. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library and CINAHL, AMEDEO and PEDro databases search were extracted study characteristics, exercise type, and ventricular outcomes. The main outcomes were \( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) peak (ml kg^?1 min^?1), LVEF (%) and LVEDV (mL). Fifty-nine RCTs were included. RT produced a greater increase in \( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) peak (3.57 ml kg^?1 min^?1, P < 0.00001, I ² = 0%) compared to AE (2.63 ml kg^?1 min^?1, P < 0.00001, I ² = 58%) while combined RT and AE produced a 2.48 ml kg^?1 min^?1 increase in \( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \); I ² = 69%) compared to control group. Comparison among the three forms of exercise revealed similar effects on \( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) peak (P = 0.84 and 1.00, respectively; I ² = 0%). AE was associated with a greater gain in LVEF (3.15%; P < 0.00001, I ² = 17%) compared to RT alone or combined exercise which produced similar gains compared to control groups. Subgroup analysis revealed that AE reduced LVEDV (? 10.21 ml; P = 0.007, I ² = 0%), while RT and combined RT and AE had no effect on LVEDV compared with control participants. RT results in a greater gain in \( \dot{\mathrm{V}}{\mathrm{O}}_2 \) peak, and induces no deleterious effects on cardiac function in HF patients.     

心房颤动对慢性收缩性心力衰竭患者远期预后影响分析

目的 探讨心房颤动(房颤)对慢性收缩性心力衰竭(chronic systolic heart failure,CSHF)住院患者远期预后的影响.方法 回顾性调查和分析湖北地区8地市12家三级甲等医院2000年至2010年CSHF住院患者资料,单因素Kaplan-Meier曲线分析房颤和非房颤组总死亡、心血管病死亡、心脏泵功能衰竭死亡(心力衰竭死亡)、心脏性猝死和栓塞相关死亡差异.多因素Cox生存分析确认心力衰竭患者不同预后的危险因素.结果 ①共16681例患者纳入本次研究.房颤组与非房颤组相比,年龄(64.54 ±13.61)岁比(62.19±15.07)岁(P＜0.01)、左心室射血分数(LVEF)37.43± 12.72比38.42±13.96(P＜0.01)、心功能Ⅲ～Ⅳ级(NYHA分级)患者(5547/81.49％比7121/72.12％,P＜0.01)和病因等因素存在差异.②单因素Kaplan-Meier曲线分析发现,房颤组和非房颤组在总死亡、心血管病死亡、心力衰竭死亡和栓塞相关死亡存在差异,而在心律失常相关的心脏性猝死两组间差异无统计学意义.③多因素Cox回归分析发现房颤不是总死亡、心血管病死亡、心力衰竭死亡和心脏性猝死增加的独立危险因素,而增加栓塞相关死亡(HR=2.134,95％ CI,1.846～2.430,P＜0.0l)结论 房颤不增加CSHF患者远期总死亡、心血管病死亡、心力衰竭死亡和心脏性猝死,而增加栓塞相关死亡.提示房颤引起CSHF患者远期预后不良的原因可能在于其并发症.     

Cardiac resynchronisation for patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction -- a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Randomised controlled trials generally suggest that cardiac resynchronisation improves outcomes in patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction and cardiac dyssynchrony. Our objective was to provide a valid synthesis of the effects of CRT on mortality, major morbidity, quality of life and implantation success rates. METHODS: Systematic overview and meta-analysis of randomised trials, both blinded and open, comparing cardiac resynchronisation with control. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and secondary outcomes included hospitalisation for worsening heart failure, quality of life and implantation success rates. RESULTS: We identified 8 randomised trials which included 3380 patients and observed a total of 524 deaths. Follow-up ranged from 1 month to a mean of 29.4 months. Most trials were of high quality, with centrally administered randomisation and few patients lost to follow-up. CRT reduced mortality in these trials (odds ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.59 to 0.88). In addition CRT reduced hospitalisation for worsening heart failure (odds ratio 0.55, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.68) and improved quality of life as measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (weighted mean difference -7.1, 95% CI -2.9 to -11.4). Implantation success rates in the trials were 87% or greater. CONCLUSION: Cardiac resynchronisation in patients with heart failure characterised by dyssynchrony substantially reduces all-cause mortality, major morbidity and improves quality of life.     

Pharmacist care of patients with heart failure: a systematic review of randomized trials

BACKGROUND: While the role of multidisciplinary teams in the treatment of patients with heart failure (HF) is well established, there is less evidence to characterize the role of individual team members. To clarify the role of pharmacists in the care of patients with HF, we performed a systematic review evaluating the effect of pharmacist care on patient outcomes in HF. METHODS: We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, Web of Science, Scopus, Dissertation Abstracts, CINAHL, Pascal, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for controlled studies from database inception to August 2007. We included randomized controlled trials that evaluated the impact of pharmacist care activities on patients with HF (in both inpatient and outpatient settings). Summary odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model for rates of all-cause hospitalization, HF hospitalization, and mortality. RESULTS: A total of 12 randomized controlled trials (2060 patients) were identified. Extent of pharmacist involvement varied among studies, and each study intervention was categorized as pharmacist-directed care or pharmacist collaborative care using a priori definitions and feedback from primary study authors. Pharmacist care was associated with significant reductions in the rate of all-cause hospitalizations (11 studies [2026 patients]) (OR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.54-0.94) and HF hospitalizations (11 studies [1977 patients]) (OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.51-0.94),and a nonsignificant reduction in mortality (12 studies [2060 patients])(OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.61-1.15). Pharmacist collaborative care led to greater reductions in the rate of HF hospitalizations (OR, 0.42; 95%CI, 0.24-0.74) than pharmacist-directed care (OR, 0.89; 95% CI, 0.68-1.17). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacist care in the treatment of patients with HF greatly reduces the risk of all-cause and HF hospitalizations. Since hospitalizations associated with HF are a major public health problem, the incorporation of pharmacists into HF care teams should be strongly considered.     

The role of exercise therapy in the treatment of patients with systolic heart failure

Opinion statement The predominant benefits of exercise training in systolic heart failure have been seen with aerobic training, although some information exists for the beneficial effects of resistive training as well. Although men clearly benefit from exercise training, the effects of exercise in women are less clear. Most of the studies have used supervised training 3 to 5 days a week for 8 weeks to 6 months, with 30 to 60 minutes of exercise per session. However, home exercise has been reported in a few studies, and appears to be safe and possibly efficacious. The effects of training on mortality are unknown at this time, although no study has demonstrated increased adverse events associated with training. Exercise training should be recommended for patients with stable New York Heart Association class II to III heart failure.     

The efficacy and safety of Wulingsan modified formulas for chronic heart failure patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundChronic heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases, which has caused huge economic burden worldwide. Wulingsan modified formulas have been historically used for CHF in China. However, the efficacy of its treatment for CHF has not been summarized by scholars and lacks of clinical evidence. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of Wulingsan modified formulas for patients with CHF.MethodsA comprehensive literature search was performed in the PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Medline (Ovid), China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, China Science and Technology Journal Database, and SinoMed databases from the date of their inception up to 1^st November, 2021. Only randomized controlled trials evaluating Wulingsan modified formulas in patients with CHF were included. The primary outcome of this study was efficacy of Wulingsan modified formulas in the treatment of CHF, and the secondary outcomes included brain natriuretic peptide, left ventricular ejection fractions, and any other changes in the patients’ condition. The risk ratio was applied to evaluate efficiency, and the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to merge the continuous variables. The I² statistic was used to assess the heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was used to evaluate whether the single research affected the whole results. Data were extracted by two independent investigators. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (version 2.0) was utilized to evaluate the included studies, STATA (version 15.0) was applied for sensitivity analysis, and RevMan 5.3 software was used to conduct the systematic review and meta-analysis.ResultsNineteen studies with a total of 1,631 were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis results were as follows: efficiency, the risk ratio =1.21, 95% CI: 1.15, 1.27; brain natriuretic peptide, WMD =−269.14, 95% CI: −349.25, −189.04; and left ventricular ejection fractions, WMD =8.80, 95% CI: 5.93, 11.68. All of these findings were statistically significant. No statistically significant adverse events were reported in the included articles.DiscussionWulingsan modified formulas are a reasonable and relatively safe adjuvant therapy for the treatment of CHF.     

利尿剂对慢性收缩性心力衰竭患者心房颤动发生的影响

目的 探讨慢性心力衰竭(chronic systolic heart failure,CSHF)患者利尿剂种类和用量对心房颤动(房颤)发生风险和预后的影响.方法 回顾性分析湖北地区16 681例CSHF住院患者(包括多次入院患者的首次和末次入院)临床资料,所有患者电话随访.以随访结果将患者分为死亡组和存活组;根据多次入院患者首次及末次临床资料将患者分为房颤组和无房颤组、不同利尿剂组、利尿剂不同剂量组.多因素Cox回归分析影响CSHF患者房颤发生风险和总死亡的独立危险因素,ROC曲线评价利尿剂对房颤预测的敏感性和特异性;多因素Cox风险比例模型分析不同利尿剂组、利尿剂不同剂量组房颤发生风险.结果 ①利尿剂(HR 1.549,95％ CI l.246 ～1.854,P＜0.01)是CSHF患者房颤发生的独立危险因素,ROC曲线分析发现,利尿剂增加预测房颤发生的特异性(83.9％对82.3％);②氢氯噻嗪和呋塞米增加房颤发生风险;氢氯噻嗪＞40 mg/d和呋塞米≥40 mg/d增加房颤发生风险;③不同种类利尿剂均不增加CSHF患者总死亡率.结论 利尿剂是CSHF患者房颤发生的独立危险因素.氢氯噻嗪＞40 mg/d和呋塞米≥0 mg/d增加房颤发生风险.     

心房颤动对慢性收缩性心力衰竭患者和射血分数正常心力衰竭患者预后的影响

目的 探讨心房颤动（简称房颤）对慢性收缩性心力衰竭（CSHF）及慢性射血分数正常心力衰竭（HF-PSF）住院患者预后的影响。方法 前瞻性分析武汉地区4家三级甲等教学医院848例心力衰竭（简称心衰）患者,根据左室射血分数分为CSHF组（n=560）、HFPSF组（n=288）。 每组根据有无房颤又分为房颤与非房颤亚组。 单因素Kaplan-Meier曲线分别分析CSHF和HFPSF患者房颤亚组和非房颤亚组总死亡 、 心脏泵功能衰竭死亡（心衰死亡）、 心源性猝死和栓塞相关死亡的差异 。多因素Cox风险比例模型分别比较CSHF和HFPSF患者房颤亚组与非房颤亚组不同预后的差异。 结果 单因素分析发现, CSHF和HFPSF组房颤亚组与非房颤亚组总死亡无差异。CSHF组中与非房颤亚组（n=374）相比,房颤亚组（n = 186）心衰死亡增高（P = 0. 01）、栓塞相关死亡增加（P0.05）。 多因素Cox风险比例模型分析发现房颤增加CSHF患者栓塞相关死亡风险（HR = 2. 106,95% CI：1. 436 - 2.719,P〈0. 01）。 结论 房颤对CSHF和HFPSF患者预后的影响存在差异,仅增加CSHF患者栓塞相关死亡风险。房颤影响CSHF患者预后的原因可能不在于心律失常本身而在于其并发症。