Soreca S, Aprile S, Cardone A, Carella G, Fimiani B, Guarnaccia F, Santoro G, Apuzzi V, Bosso G, Valvano A, Zito G, Oliviero U. Management of chronic heart failure: Role of home echocardiography in monitoring care programs. World J Cardiol 2012; 4(3): 72-76 [PMID: 22451855 DOI: 10.4330/wjc.v4.i3.72]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ugo Oliviero, MD, Department of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Sciences, Federico II University, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. ugo.oliviero@unina.it
Article-Type of This Article
Brief Article
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World J Cardiol. Mar 26, 2012; 4(3): 72-76 Published online Mar 26, 2012. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v4.i3.72
Management of chronic heart failure: Role of home echocardiography in monitoring care programs
Silvia Soreca, Sergio Aprile, Andrea Cardone, Giovanni Carella, Biagio Fimiani, Franco Guarnaccia, Giosuè Santoro, Valentina Apuzzi, Giorgio Bosso, Antonio Valvano, Giovanni Zito, Ugo Oliviero
Silvia Soreca, Sergio Aprile, Andrea Cardone, Giovanni Carella, Biagio Fimiani, Franco Guarnaccia, Giosuè Santoro, Giovanni Zito, Associazioni Regionali Cardiologi Ambulatoriali, Campania, Via M. Testa 8, 84127 Salerno, Italy
Valentina Apuzzi, Giorgio Bosso, Antonio Valvano, Ugo Oliviero, Department of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Sciences, Federico II University, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
Author contributions: Soreca S, Aprile S, Cardone A, Carella G, Fimiani B, Guarnaccia F and Santoro G performed the home echocardiography and the home monitoring program of the CHF patients; Apuzzi V, Bosso G and Valvano A provided the centralized lecture of the examinations and performed the statistical analysis; Soreca S, Zito G and Oliviero U developed the protocol and wrote the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Ugo Oliviero, MD, Department of Clinical Medicine and Cardiovascular Sciences, Federico II University, Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. ugo.oliviero@unina.it
Telephone: +39-81-7463369 Fax: +39-81-7463369
Received: December 28, 2011 Revised: February 19, 2012 Accepted: February 26, 2012 Published online: March 26, 2012
Abstract
AIM: To identify a possible role of home echocardiography for monitoring chronic heart failure (CHF) patients.
METHODS: We prospectively investigated 118 patients hospitalized during the last year for CHF who could not easily reach the pertaining District Healthcare Center. The patients were followed up with 2 home management programs: one including clinical and electrocardiographic evaluations and also periodic home echocardiographic examinations (group A), the other including clinical and electrocardiographic evaluations only (group B).
RESULTS: At the end of the 18-mo follow-up no signi-ficant differences were observed between the 2 groups as regards the primary endpoint: rehospitalization occurred in 4 patients of the group A and in 6 patients of the group B; major cardiovascular events occurred in 2 and in 3 patients, respectively. No significant differences were observed with respect to the secondary endpoints: one vascular event appeared in both the groups, 3 cardiovascular deaths occurred in group A and 2 in group B. No significant differences were observed between the 2 groups as regards the composite endpoint of death plus hospitalization.
CONCLUSION: Home echocardiography for monitoring of CHF patients does not improve the cardiovascular endpoints. In our CHF patients, a low incidence of vascular events was observed.
