CONGRESS ABSTRACT

Aims. In our study we evaluated the effectiveness of a telemonitoring program based on a nursing clinic supported by a physician, who remotely monitors patients via a dedicated application (TreC Cardiology), in reducing visits and hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) in patients affected by HF living in Trentino in Italy. Methods. The TreC Heart Failure (TreC HF) study prospectively enrolled consecutive patients diagnosed with HF who attended our outpatient clinic and who were provided with TreC Cardiology application. We analyzed primarily the number of visits and hospitalizations, comparing the year before and after the enrollment. Results. From March 2021 to June 2023, we enrolled 211 patients, predominantly male (70.1%) and with a mean age of 71.5±12.6 years. At baseline, 43.6% of patients were diagnosed with HFrEF, 28% with HFmrEF and 28.4% with HFpEF. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LV-EF) was 43.2±11.9%. The percentage of patients who were hospitalized for heart failure went from 25.6% to 4.7% (p<0.001) (figure 1). Outpatient visits in the year before the enrollment were on average 2.0±1.2vs1.6±1.3 (p=0.002) in the same following period (figure 2). Analyzing separately HF categories we found that in HFrEF population after the enrollment hospitalization for HF significantly decreased (32.6%vs7.6%, p<0.001) while the number of outpatient visits did not vary (2.1±1.4vs2.1±1.3, p=0.795). In HFmrEF patients both hospitalization for HF and outpatient visits significantly decreased (respectively 30.5%vs1.7%, p<0.001 and 2.0±1.0vs1.5±1.3, p=0.025). Finally, in HFpEF population only the number of outpatient visits significantly decreased after the enrollment (2.0±1.1vs1.0±0.8, p<0.001). Conclusion. Our results confirm the enormous potential of telemonitoring, since in a real-world population affected by heart failure it resulted in a significant reduction in hospitalization for HF and number of outpatient visits.