[Outpatient medical and nurse management program in patients with chronic heart failure in a large territorial area in Piedmont. Four years of follow-up].

Background: Chronic heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization and readmissions. In the last years many strategies based on the interaction of multi-competence programs have been evaluated to improve its management.

Methods: We evaluated the feasibility of an outpatient management program for patients with chronic hearth failure jointly treated by hospital, territorial cardiologists, nurses and primary physicians in a large area of Piedmont. Between January 2001 and January 2005, 122 consecutive patients (26.2% female, mean age 66 +/- 11 years) with chronic heart failure were enrolled in the study. Etiology was: coronary heart disease 40.2%, dilated cardiomyopathy 18%, hypertension 18%, unknown 14%, valvular heart disease 4.9%, other 4.9%. Cardiologists were expected to assess etiology, to perform instrumental examinations and titration of beta-blockers; nurses to reinforce patient education to monitor adherence to pharmacological and dietary therapy. Patients were subsequently followed by primary physicians. The endpoints were to compare: 1) hospitalization and emergency department admissions in the 12 months before the first evaluation and every year after referral; 2) Minnesota questionnaire, NYHA functional class, pharmacological therapies at the referral time and at the end of follow-up.

Results: One hundred and fifteen patients were followed for 47 +/- 1.5 months (5.6% drop out). Thirty-four patients died (29.5%), 11 non-cardiac causes, 14 congestive heart failure, 6 sudden cardiac death, 3 cardiac transplantation. Ejection fraction improved from 31 +/- 10 to 36 +/- 12%. Emergency department admissions and hospitalizations decreased from 54 and 56 respectively in the year before the first evaluation to 14 and 21 per year (p < 0.001). NYHA classes I-II improved from 65.5 to 87.7% and NYHA classes III-IV were reduced from 34.5 to 12.3%. The Minnesota score decreased from 25 to 21.9. Patients treated with ACE-inhibitors + angiotensin II receptor blocker therapy increased from 91 to 96%, beta-blockers from 35.2 to 69%, potassium sparing drugs increased from 54 to 64%.

Conclusions: Our study showed that a medical and nurse outpatient management program for patients with chronic heart failure, also in a large urban and country area, decrease number of hospitalizations and improve functional class and adherence to medical therapy. These results kept constant over time in the subsequent 4 years.