Efficacy of Remote Management in Chronic Heart Failure: A Prospective Cohort Study in Eastern China

In recent years, increasing evidence has highlighted the potential of remote management in cardiovascular diseases, with growing recognition of its feasibility and clinical value supporting its broad future application. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of remote management for patients with heart failure (HF) in Eastern China.

A single-center, prospective, nonrandomized controlled trial enrolled 433 patients with HF, comprising 52 opting for remote management and 381 receiving usual care. Propensity score matching (1:2) yielded 95 patients (37 intervention and 58 control) for analysis. The intervention comprised a multilevel digital health ecosystem (WeChat mini program and centralized digital health management platform), structured health monitoring (weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation), and education. The primary outcome includes a composite of cardiovascular mortality and HF-related rehospitalization.

The composite primary outcome occurred in 11 (30%) patients receiving intervention and 24 (41%) controls over a maximum 24-month follow-up period. The intervention group demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the percentage of days lost due to unplanned HF rehospitalization or all-cause death (p = 0.049). Numerically lower rates were observed for HF-related rehospitalization, cardiovascular mortality, and all-cause mortality, along with higher quality of life scores, although with no statistical significance.

Remote management demonstrated feasibility and potential clinical benefits, particularly in reducing the cumulative burden of illness. Further, it provides a foundation for integration into primary healthcare systems to optimize resource allocation and improve long-term patient outcomes.