Telecardiology for patients with chronic heart failure The ‘SHL’ experience in Israel.

Int J Cardiology 97(1):49-55, 2004

Background

Methods
This prospective 1-year study was conducted on compliant subscribers to 'SHL', a telecardiological
service with >60,000 subscribers, who were admitted > or = 2 times during the previous
year for recurrent pulmonary edema or deterioration in heart failure.
Their heart rate, blood pressure and body weight measurements were now automatically transmitted daily to 'SHL"s data bank and added to stored and updated medical records.
A questionnaire survey acquired information on their quality of life.

Results
The study cohort included 118 patients, mean age 75 years (range 49-89 years), 65% males, a II-IV
class functional capacity and a 25% (range 10-39%) mean ejection fraction.
There was a 66% reduction in the total hospitalization days (from 1623 in the year preceding study entry
to 558 during the study period), p<0.0001.
Although only 38/118 patients were hospitalized, most participants reported a significant subjective
improvement in their quality of life.

Conclusions
Data are provided to demonstrate that a transtelephonic system allowing primary care at the patient's
home can significantly reduce hospitalization rate and length of stay and significantly enhance
the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure.

Patients with chronic heart failure characteristically have multiple hospital admissions for
symptom control, deleteriously affecting their quality of life and mposing a burden on national healthcare costs.
We assessed the effect of a novel transtelephonic monitoring and follow-up program on the admission
rate and length of hospital stay as well as changes in their subjectively rated quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure.