It has been my great pleasure to work with many cardiologists across the world in developing and implementing the Optimize Program. We all recognize the need to improve the care of people living with heart failure, and sometimes simple tools can help drive standards up. It has been very exciting to see many centers around the world use the protocols, checklists and patient passports (or the mobile phone patient ‘App’) developed in the Optimize Program and on this website you… Read more
Editorial
Editorial
News
OPTIMIZATION OF HEART RATE-LOWERING THERAPY IN HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE: INSIGHTS FROM THE OPTIMIZE HEART FAILURE CARE PROGRAMHospitalization provides an opportunity to re-evaluate patient care, including optimization of current therapy and planning of longer-term management. A substantial proportion of patients hospitalized with HFrEF have an elevated heart rate at discharge, and a heart rate ≥70 bpm is associated with increased risk of mortality or hospitalization. This paper discusses the effects of in-hospital…
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Volgograd State Medical
University, Cardiology Centre
Volgograd, Russian Federation Clara Saldarriaga
Clinica CardioVID
Medellin, Columbia Jose Antonio Magaña
Division of Heart Failure and
Cardiac Transplantation,
Cardiology Hospital,
National Medical Center “Siglo XXI”, Mexican Institue of Social Security, Mexico City, Mexico
Eugenio Reyes
University of the Philippines
College of Medicine
Manila Doctors Hospital
Manila, Philippines
Yoto Yotov
Varna, Bulgaria
Ricardo Mourilhe Rocha
School of Medical Sciences,
Universidade do Estado
Do Rio de Janeiro, Pedro Ernesto
University Hospital of the UERJ,
Pró-Cardíaco Hospital,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Burden of heart failure
Heart failure is a major health issue with a prevalence of over 23 million worldwide, and rising. Heart failure is a major problem for health care systems around the world, both in terms of the impact on the patient’s daily life, but also in terms of costs due to high rates of hospitalization, readmission, and outpatient visits. Despite advances in therapy and management, heart failure remains a deadly clinical syndrome.
It is essential that health care professionals join the efforts to fight this growing epidemic.
Unmet need in heart failure
Heart failure hospitalizations and mainly early re hospitalization are a matter of concern. These are among current challenges in the management of the heart failure patients, along with high mortality and reduced quality of life. And the vulnerable phase in the 30-day post-discharge is known to be a period of high risk for heart failure patients. This could be due to compromised cardiac function, particularly systolic function. Thus, it is of the utmost importance to improve systolic function rapidly, with a call to action from hospital onwards. Several hospital-based strategies have been proven to reduce recurrent hospitalizations. The keys to success are patient education, optimization of treatment, and continuity of care.
About the program
The Optimize Heart Failure Care program is designed to improve the management of heart failure patients from hospital discharge, and during follow-up. Patients with heart failure are at high risk of being readmitted to hospital, particularly in the very first month after hospital discharge. So hospitalization for heart failure has been identified as a key opportunity to optimize heart failure therapy. To do so, the Optimize Heart Failure Care program provides a set of tool for health care professionals which should help them optimize heart failure care in 3 easy steps from before hospital discharge to patient follow-up.
The objective of the Optimize Heart Failure Care website is to share local heart failure care programs that have been implemented in countries around the world, to share experience from each and every country.