The Impact of a Heart Failure Clinic on Clinical Outcomes: Our Experience

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Clinical Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is a growing global health concern, leading to high mortality and frequent hospitalizations.
• Guideline-directed medical therapy significantly improves outcomes, especially for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
• Heart failure clinics aim to optimize patient medical therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a dedicated heart failure clinic on medical therapy management.
• To assess the effect of the clinic's interventions on clinical outcomes, specifically hospital readmissions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of patient data from a heart failure clinic over four years.
• Evaluation of medical therapy adherence and optimization using patient reports and clinical data.
• Documentation of recurrent heart failure admissions and follow-up duration.

Main Results:

• The study included 317 patients, with 62.5% having HFrEF.
• Optimization of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) reached 92% and 91%, respectively.
• In HFrEF patients, use of angiotensin-receptor antagonist/neprilysin inhibitor increased from 22.6% to 87.9%, and SGLT2i use rose from 49.2% to 92% (P < 0.001).
• During a median follow-up of 2.2 years, 64% of patients were readmitted for HF, but readmission rates declined over time.

Conclusions:

• Heart failure clinics are vital for optimizing medical therapy.
• These specialized clinics contribute to a reduction in hospital readmissions for heart failure patients.
• Effective management in HF clinics improves patient outcomes and quality of life.