Screening echocardiograms in a senior focused value based primary care improves systolic heart failure detection and...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Geriatric Medicine
• Preventive Cardiology

Background:

• Screening echocardiograms are not routinely indicated in primary care for older adults.
• The study aimed to assess the clinical utility of screening echocardiograms in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of screening echocardiograms on clinical management in older adults.
• To determine if echocardiograms improve evidence-based cardiovascular treatment and short-term outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Screening echocardiograms were performed on consecutive patients.
• Incident systolic heart failure (HF) was defined as ejection fraction <50% in patients without prior HF diagnosis.
• Medical records were reviewed for HF staging, and medication/vital sign data were analyzed for changes pre- and post-echocardiogram.

Main Results:

• 6,417 patients underwent echocardiograms (mean age 71.4±6).
• 5.34% (292) had new systolic HF, with 239 classified as Stage B.
• Medication use (ACE-inhibitor, beta-blocker) increased, particularly in Stage C HF and EF <40%. Systolic blood pressure and LDL decreased significantly.

Conclusions:

• Screening echocardiograms in senior-focused primary care enhance evidence-based cardiovascular treatment.
• The procedure leads to improved short-term clinical outcomes, including reduced systolic blood pressure and LDL levels.