[Monitoring multiple cardiovascular paramaters using telemedicine in patients with chronic heart failure]. Telemonitoring in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (CHROMED). A Randomized Clinical Trial A randomized trial of home telemonitoring in a typical elderly heart failure population in North West London: results of the Home-HF study. Randomized trial of Telemonitoring to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes (Tele-HF): study design. Telemonitoring in heart failure patients treated by cardiac resynchronisation therapy with defibrillator (CRT-D): the TELECART Study. A remote monitoring and telephone nurse coaching intervention to reduce readmissions among patients with heart failure: study protocol for the Better Effectiveness After Transition - Heart Failure (BEAT-HF) randomized controlled trial The effect of a randomized trial of home telemonitoring on medical costs, 30-day readmissions, mortality, and health-related quality of life in a cohort of community-dwelling heart failure patients. Effect of a telemonitoring-facilitated collaboration between general practitioner and heart failure clinic on mortality and rehospitalization rates in severe heart failure: the TEMA-HF 1 (TElemonitoring in the MAnagement of Heart Failure) study. Home Health Care With Telemonitoring Improves Health Status for Older Adults With Heart Failure Assessment of a primary care-based telemonitoring intervention for home care patients with heart failure and chronic lung disease. The TELBIL study A comparison of in-person home care, home care with telephone contact and home care with telemonitoring for disease management Clinical and psychological telemonitoring and telecare of high risk heart failure patients Home telemonitoring in heart failure patients: the HHH study (Home or Hospital in Heart Failure) Impact of telemonitoring at home on the management of elderly patients with congestive heart failure A Randomized Trial of Telemonitoring Heart Failure Patients Predictors of a sustained response to exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure: a telemonitoring study. Mobile Phone-Based Telemonitoring for Heart Failure Management: A Randomized Controlled Trial Telemonitoring in patients with heart failure. Feasibility of a nurse-monitored, outpatient-care programme for elderly patients with moderate-to-severe, chronic heart failure.
Progression of chronic heart failure depends on various additional pathophysiologic factors like blood pressure , arrhythmias , congestion . Early detection of any alteration using telemonitoring of multiple vital parameters may avoid severe decompensation requiring hospital admission . The feasibility and the clinical outcome using a new telemonitoring device for recording multiple vital parameters and allowing communication on individual state of health is investigated . Twenty-four patients with chronic heart failure ( mean age 65 years , mean LV ejection fraction 35 % ) requiring at least one hospital admission during the past year were investigated . Twice a day , the vital-parameters were measured ( weight , blood pressure , heart rate and rhythm , oxygen saturation , respiration rate ) and patients information on well being , shortness of breath , medication , and request for contact were received . Intra-individual comparison was carried out between the 12 month before inclusion in this study and 12 month under telemonitoring surveillance ( extrapolated , if necessary ) . Performing over 10 500 measurements during 5751 patient days , critical events were diagnosed for 55 events concerning relative weight gain ( 43 episodes ) , blood pressure ( 6 ) , decrease in oxygen saturation ( 3 ) , new onset of atrial fibrillation with tachyarrhymia ( 3 ) . Of these , 45 events were controlled on an outpatient basis by changing medication or external cardioversion . Only 10 patients required re-admission . Thus , the number of admission to the hospital could be reduced by 62 % , those of days spent in hospital by 69 % . Non-invasive telemonitoring of multiple vital parameters combined with patients statements on their health condition and out-patient treatment on the basis of these findings is found to be an effective and reliable approach to avoid hospital readmission for patients with chronic heart failure Rationale : Early detection of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ( COPD ) exacerbations using telemonitoring of physiological variables might reduce the frequency of hospitalization . Objectives : To evaluate the efficacy of home monitoring of lung mechanics by the forced oscillation technique and cardiac parameters in older patients with COPD and comorbidities . Methods : This multicenter , r and omized clinical trial recruited 312 patients with Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease grade s II to IV COPD ( median age , 71 yr [ interquartile range , 66‐76 yr ] ; 49.6 % grade II , 50.4 % grade s III‐IV ) , with a history of exacerbation in the previous year and at least one nonpulmonary comorbidity . Patients were r and omized to usual care ( n = 158 ) or telemonitoring ( n = 154 ) and followed for 9 months . All telemonitoring patients self‐assessed lung mechanics daily , and in a subgroup with congestive heart failure ( n = 37 ) cardiac parameters were also monitored . An algorithm identified deterioration , triggering a telephone contact to determine appropriate interventions . Measurements and Main Results : Primary outcomes were time to first hospitalization ( TTFH ) and change in the EuroQoL EQ‐5D utility index score . Secondary outcomes included : rate of antibiotic/corticosteroid prescription ; hospitalization ; the COPD Assessment Tool , Patient Health Question naire‐9 , and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure question naire scores ; quality ‐adjusted life years ; and healthcare costs . Telemonitoring did not affect TTFH , EQ‐5D utility index score , antibiotic prescriptions , hospitalization rate , or question naire scores . In an exploratory analysis , telemedicine was associated with fewer repeat hospitalizations ( −54 % ; P = 0.017 ) . Conclusions : In older patients with COPD and comorbidities , remote monitoring of lung function by forced oscillation technique and cardiac parameters did not change TTFH and EQ‐5D . Clinical trial registered with www . clinical trials.gov ( NCT 01960907 ) AIMS Heart failure chiefly affects the elderly , with frequent emergency admissions . Telemonitoring can identify worsening heart failure but previous r and omized trials have enrolled selected patient population s. The Home-HF study examined the impact of home telemonitoring on typical heart failure patients discharged from three acute hospitals in North West London , UK . METHODS AND RESULTS Patients hospitalized with heart failure were r and omized to telemonitoring or usual specialist care . Primary outcome measures were days alive and out of hospital . Secondary outcome measures were number and duration of heart failure hospitalizations , clinic visits , and quality of life .  We recruited 182 patients . There was no difference in the primary outcome measure in the two groups , but there were significantly fewer unplanned hospitalizations for heart failure decompensation , and a reduction in clinic and emergency room visits in the telemonitoring group . There was no statistically significant difference in the mean direct health service costs . CONCLUSION Home telemonitoring in a typical elderly population of heart failure patients produces a similar outcome to ' usual ' specialist care , but reduces clinic and emergency room visits and unplanned heart failure rehospitalizations at little additional cost . This method of disease monitoring may allow specialist services to increase the number of patients under their care BACKGROUND Telemonitoring , the use of communication technology to monitor clinical status , is gaining attention as a strategy to improve the care of patients with heart failure . A system of frequent monitoring could alert clinicians to early heart failure decompensation , providing the opportunity for intervention before patients become severely ill and require hospitalization . Moreover , patients ' participation in a daily monitoring program could have a favorable effect on their health behaviors . The literature on telemonitoring for heart failure , however , is quite limited . METHODS AND MATERIAL S Telemonitoring to Improve Heart Failure Outcomes ( Tele-HF ) is a r and omized , controlled , trial design ed to compare an automated , daily symptom , and self-reported weight monitoring intervention with usual care in reducing ( all-cause ) hospital readmissions and mortality among patients recently hospitalized with decompensated heart failure . The intervention will be implemented and all outcomes will be assessed over a 6-month period . The purpose of the intervention is to collect information about symptoms , clinical status and weight and to engage participants in their own self-care .  Participants are recruited from general cardiology , heart failure specialty , and primary care practice s across the United States . CONCLUSIONS The results of this study may inform future policy decisions regarding implementation of telemonitoring in treatment of heart failure AIM Telemonitoring ( TM ) is a safe and efficient monitoring system for internal cardioverter defibrillator device ( ICD ) recipients . TM has been used to track info on the clinical status of heart failure patients treated by ICD and /or cardiac resynchronisation therapy defibrillator ( CRT-D ) .  The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of TM on clinical outcomes in a population of CRT-D patients with heart failure . METHODS In a multicentre , r and omised study , patients with chronic heart failure , New York Heart Association ( NYHA ) functional class II or III , left bundle branch block , severe left ventricle ejection fraction reduction ( LVEF < 35 % ) have been identified and screened . RESULTS One hundred and ninety-one patients have been r and omised to receive either a CRT-D with TM or a CRT-D with traditional ambulatory monitoring ( control group ) and completed the 12-month study follow-up . Primary endpoints were all cause death , cardiac death and hospital admission for heart failure . Secondary endpoints were atrial fibrillation , sustained episodes , non-sustained and self terminated ventricular tachyarrhythmia , sustained ventricular tachycardia , and ventricular fibrillation , ICD shocks and percentage of CRT-D responder patients . Univariate analysis identified the following factors predicting hospitalisation : TM , age , chronic kidney disease , hypercholesterolaemia , LVEF and NYHA class . At multivariate analysis , TM was the only factor predicting heart failure hospitalisation ( hazard ratio 0.6 , 0.42 - 0.79 , 95 % CI , p = 0.002 ) , without affecting overall mortality and cardiac deaths events . CONCLUSIONS Taken together , our data indicate the importance of TM in predicting heart failure hospitalisation in patients treated with Background Heart failure is a prevalent health problem associated with costly hospital readmissions . Transitional care programs have been shown to reduce readmissions but are costly to implement . Evidence regarding the effectiveness of telemonitoring in managing the care of this chronic condition is mixed . The objective of this r and omized controlled comparative effectiveness study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a care transition intervention that includes pre-discharge education about heart failure and post-discharge telephone nurse coaching combined with home telemonitoring of weight , blood pressure , heart rate , and symptoms in reducing all-cause 180-day hospital readmissions for older adults hospitalized with heart failure . Methods / Design A multi-center , r and omized controlled trial is being conducted at six academic health systems in California . A total of 1,500 patients aged 50 years and older will be enrolled during a hospitalization for treatment of heart failure . Patients in the intervention group will receive intensive patient education using the ‘ teach-back ’ method and receive instruction in using the telemonitoring equipment . Following hospital discharge , they will receive a series of nine scheduled health coaching telephone calls over 6 months from nurses located in a central ized call center . The nurses also will call patients and patients ’ physicians in response to alerts generated by the telemonitoring system , based on predetermined parameters . The primary outcome is readmission for any cause within 180 days . Secondary outcomes include 30-day readmission , mortality , hospital days , emergency department ( ED ) visits , hospital cost , and health-related quality of life . Discussion BEAT-HF is one of the largest r and omized controlled trials of telemonitoring in patients with heart failure , and the first explicitly to adapt the care transition approach and combine it with remote telemonitoring . The study population also includes patients with a wide range of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics . Once completed , the study will be a rich re source of information on how best to use remote technology in the care management of patients with chronic heart failure . Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov # NCT01360203 BACKGROUND Telemonitoring has been advocated as a way of decreasing costs and improving outcomes , but no study has looked at true Medicare payments and 30-day readmission rates in a r and omized group of well treated patients . OBJECTIVE The aim of this work was to analyze Medicare cl aims data to identify effects of home telemonitoring on medical costs , 30-day rehospitalization , mortality , and health-related quality of life . METHODS A total of 204 subjects were r and omized to usual-care and monitored groups and evaluated with the SF-36 and Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Question naire ( MLHF ) . Hospitalizations , Medicare payments , and mortality were also assessed . Monitored subjects transmitted weight , blood pressure , and heart rate , which were monitored by an experienced heart failure nurse practitioner . RESULTS Subjects were followed for 802 ± 430 days ; 75 subjects in the usual-care group ( 316 hospitalizations ) and 81 in the monitored group ( 327 hospitalizations ) were hospitalized at least once ( P = .51 ) . There were no differences in Medicare payments for inpatient or emergency department visits , and length of stay was not different between groups . There was no difference in 30-day readmissions ( P = .627 ) or mortality ( P = .575 ) . Scores for SF-36 and MLHF improved ( P < .001 ) over time , but there were no differences between groups . The percentage of patients readmitted within 30 days was lower with telemonitoring for the 1st year , but this did not persist . CONCLUSIONS Telemonitoring did not result in lower total costs , decreased hospitalizations , improved symptoms , or improved mortality . A decrease in 30-day readmission rates for the 1st year did not result in decreased total cost or better outcomes AIMS Chronic heart failure ( CHF ) patients are frequently rehospitalized within 6 months after an episode of fluid retention . Rehospitalizations are preventable , but this requires an extensive organization of the healthcare system . In this study , we tested whether intensive follow-up of patients through a telemonitoring-facilitated collaboration between general practitioners ( GPs ) and a heart failure clinic could reduce mortality and rehospitalization rate . METHODS AND RESULTS One hunderd and sixty CHF patients [ mean age 76 ± 10 years , 104 males , mean left ventricular ejection fraction ( LVEF ) 35 ± 15 % ] were block r and omized by sealed envelopes and assigned to 6 months of intense follow-up facilitated by telemonitoring ( TM ) or usual care ( UC ) . The TM group measured body weight , blood pressure , and heart rate on a daily basis with electronic devices that transferred the data automatically to an online data base . Email alerts were sent to the GP and heart failure clinic to intervene when pre-defined limits were exceeded . All-cause mortality was significantly lower in the TM group as compared with the UC group ( 5 % vs. 17.5 % , P = 0.01 ) . The total number of follow-up days lost to hospitalization , dialysis , or death was significantly lower in the TM group as compared with the UC group ( 13 vs. 30 days , P = 0.02 ) . The number of hospitalizations for heart failure per patient showed a trend ( 0.24 vs. 0.42 hospitalizations/patient , P = 0.06 ) in favour of TM . CONCLUSION Telemonitoring-facilitated collaboration between GPs and a heart failure clinic reduces mortality and number of days lost to hospitalization , death , or dialysis in CHF patients . These findings need confirmation in a large trial Home telemonitoring can augment home health care services during a patient 's transition from hospital to home . Home health care agencies commonly use telemonitors for patients with heart failure although studies have shown mixed results in the use of telemonitors to reduce rehospitalizations . This r and omized trial investigated if older patients with heart failure admitted to home health care following a hospitalization would have a reduction in rehospitalizations and improved health status if they received telemonitoring .  Patients were followed up to 180 days post-discharge from home health care services . Results showed no difference in the time to rehospitalization or emergency visit between those who received telemonitoring versus usual care .  Older heart failure patients who received telemonitoring had better health status by home health care discharge than those who received usual care . Therefore , for older adults with heart failure , telemonitoring may be an important adjunct to home health care services to improve health status Background Telemonitoring technology offers one of the most promising alternatives for the provision of health care services at the patient 's home . The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of a primary care-based telemonitoring intervention on the frequency of hospital admissions . Methods / design A primary care-based r and omised controlled trial will be carried out to assess the impact of a telemonitoring intervention aim ed at home care patients with heart failure ( HF ) and /or chronic lung disease ( CLD ) . The results will be compared with those obtained with st and ard health care practice . The duration of the study will be of one year . Sixty patients will be recruited for the study . In-home patients , diagnosed with HF and /or CLD , aged 14 or above and with two or more hospital admissions in the previous year will be eligible . For the intervention group , telemonitoring will consist of daily patient self- measurements of respiratory-rate , heart-rate , blood pressure , oxygen saturation , weight and body temperature . Additionally , the patients will complete a qualitative symptom question naire daily using the telemonitoring system . Routine telephone contacts will be conducted every fortnight and additional telephone contacts will be carried out if the data received at the primary care centre are out of the established limits . The control group will receive usual care . The primary outcome measure is the number of hospital admissions due to any cause that occurred in a period of 12 months post-r and omisation . The secondary outcome measures are : duration of hospital stay , hospital admissions due to HF or CLD , mortality rate , use of health care re sources , quality of life , cost-effectiveness , compliance and patient and health care professional satisfaction with the new technology . Discussion The results of this study will shed some light on the effects of telemonitoring for the follow-up and management of chronic patients from a primary care setting . The study may contribute to enhance the underst and ing of alternative modes of health care provision for medically unstable elderly patients , who bear a high degree of physical and functional deterioration . Trial Registration IS RCT N : IS RCT We compared the effects of evidence -based disease management guidelines delivered to patients with heart failure and diabetes using three different modalities : in-person visits alone ( Control ) , in-person visits and a telephone intervention ( Telephone ) , and in-person visits and telemonitoring ( Telemonitoring ) .  Patients were r and omized to the three groups . There were 112 patients in the Control group , 93 in the Telephone group and 98 in the Telemonitoring group . During the first 60 days , 10 % of the Control group were rehospitalized , 17 % of the Telephone group and 16 % of the Telemonitoring group . Having heart failure and receiving more in-person visits were significantly related to readmission and time to readmission . However , after adjusting for diagnosis and visits , the differences between the three groups were non-significant . There was a trend for increased risk of readmission for the Telephone group compared to Control alone ( P = 0.07 , risk ratio 2.2 , 95 % CI : 0.9 to 5.2 ) and for readmission sooner ( P = 0.02 , risk ratio 2.3 , 95 % CI : 1.2 to 4.6 ) . Patient rehospitalization and emergency department visit rates were lower than the national average , making it difficult to detect a difference between groups . Previous rehospitalization was a consistent predictor of those who were rehospitalized , suggesting that it may be a useful indicator for identifying patients likely to need additional attention We conducted a trial of telemonitoring and telecare for patients with chronic heart failure leaving hospital after being treated for clinical instability . Eighty patients were r and omized before hospital discharge to a  usual care group  ( n = 40 : follow-up at the outpatient clinic ) or to an  integrated management group  ( n = 40 : patients learned to use a h and held PDA and kept in touch daily with the monitoring centre ) . At enrolment , the groups were similar for all clinical variables . At one-year follow-up , integrated management patients showed better adherence , reduced anxiety and depression , and lower NYHA class and plasma levels of BNP with respect to the usual care patients ( e.g. NYHA class 2.1 vs 2.4 , P < 0.02 ) . Mortality and hospital re-admissions for congestive heart failure were also reduced in integrated management patients ( P < 0.05 ) .  Integrated management  was more expensive than usual care , although the cost of adverse events was 42 % lower . In heart failure patients at high risk of relapse , the regular acquisition of simple clinical information and the possibility for the patient to contact the clinical staff improved drug titration , produced better psychological status and quality of life , and reduced hospitalizations for heart failure The Home or Hospital in Heart failure ( HHH ) study was a European Community‐funded , multinational , r and omized controlled clinical trial , conducted in the UK , Pol and , and Italy , to assess the feasibility of a new system of home telemonitoring ( HT ) . The HT system was used to monitor clinical and physiological parameters , and its effectiveness ( compared with usual care ) in reducing cardiac events in heart failure ( HF ) patients was evaluated . Measurements were patient‐managed We studied the effects of home telemonitoring in elderly patients with congestive heart failure ( CHF ) on mortality and rate of hospitalization , compliance with treatment , quality of life and costs of CHF management , by comparison with a group receiving usual care . Fifty-seven elderly CHF patients were r and omized to st and ard care or to home telemonitoring-based care  and followed for 12 months . In the subjects who were monitored , weekly reports on their clinical status were obtained and their management was modified accordingly . Home telemonitoring was associated with improvements in the composite endpoint of mortality and rate of hospitalizations ( P = 0.006 ) , a better compliance with therapy , more frequent use of beta-blockers and statins , lower total cholesterol level and a better reported health perception score . The improved results with home telemonitoring in CHF were probably due to better compliance and to closer monitoring of the patients EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this study was to measure the ability of telemonitoring to reduce hospital days and total costs for Medicare managed care enrollees diagnosed with heart failure . Patients were recruited and r and omly assigned for six months to either  telemonitoring or st and ard care . Telemonitoring transmitted vital signs and clinical alerts daily to a central nursing station . Utilization of covered services was analyzed for the six‐month telemonitoring period to test for hypothesized reductions in hospital days and changes in utilization of the emergency department ( ED ) , urgent care , and primary care . Negative binomial regressions adjusted for gender , age , co‐occurring diabetes , co‐occurring chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , and residence neighborhood were used to analyze units of service , and two‐part ( hurdle ) multivariable models were used for expenditures . The main finding was a tendency for lower total number of hospital days for patients assigned to telemonitoring . Results for other covered services were generally consistent with hypothesized direction and magnitude ; however , statistical power was reduced because of lowerthan‐expected recruitment rates into the study . Within a managed‐care environment , telemonitoring appears to facilitate better ambulatory management of heart failure patients  , including fewer ED visits , which were offset by more frequent primary care and urgent care visits BACKGROUND Exercise training ( ExT ) improves exercise capacity in chronic heart failure , but the results of home-based training have been variable . We sought the predictors of favorable outcome using a telemonitoring approach . METHODS Exercise capacity and quality of life ( QOL ) were assessed in 30 patients ( 28 men , age 64 + /- 8 years ) with symptomatic chronic heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction < or = 35 % ( 28 % + /- 9 % ) undergoing 8 months of home ExT.  Patients were provided with heart rate monitors and exercise diaries after undergoing 4 months of hospital-based ExT. Weekly telephone contact was established and heart rate data were downloaded bimonthly . Changes in peak oxygen consumption per unit time ( V*O2 ) and QOL were compared between the 15 most and 15 least adherent patients defined by the number of hours per week at > 60 % maximum heart rate , observed during heart-rate monitoring . RESULTS Peak V*O2 increased by 26 % ( P < .001 ) after 4 months of hospital ExT , but this increase had fallen to 8 % ( P = .07 ) at 12 months ; only adherent patients ( n = 15 ) showed persistent improvement of peak V*O2 at 12 months ( P = .02 ) . Improvement in peak V*O2 at 12 months was associated with baseline peak V*O2 ( r = -0.61 , P < .001 ) and hours logged on the heart rate monitor ( r = 0.47 , P = .01 ) . Quality of life improvements were sustained at 12 months for the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Question naire and Hare-Davis Depression Question naire . Nevertheless , QOL improvements achieved during the outpatient program were lost or attenuated at 12 months in nonadherent patients but were maintained in adherent patients . CONCLUSIONS Telemonitoring is feasible for following adherence to home ExT. Ongoing adherence is critical in obtaining sustained benefit from ExT in heart failure Background Previous trials of telemonitoring for heart failure management have reported inconsistent results , largely due to diverse intervention and study design s. Mobile phones are becoming ubiquitous and economical , but the feasibility and efficacy of a mobile phone-based telemonitoring system have not been determined . Objective The objective of this trial was to investigate the effects of a mobile phone-based telemonitoring system on heart failure management and outcomes . Methods One hundred patients were recruited from a heart function clinic and r and omized into telemonitoring and control groups . The telemonitoring group ( N = 50 ) took daily weight and blood pressure readings and weekly single-lead ECGs , and answered daily symptom questions on a mobile phone over 6 months . Readings were automatically transmitted wirelessly to the mobile phone and then to data servers . Instructions were sent to the patients ’ mobile phones and alerts to a cardiologist ’s mobile phone as required . Results Baseline question naires were completed and returned by 94 patients , and 84 patients returned post- study question naires . About 70 % of telemonitoring patients completed at least 80 % of their possible daily readings . The change in quality of life from baseline to post- study , as measured with the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Question naire , was significantly greater for the telemonitoring group compared to the control group ( P = .05 ) . A between-group analysis also found greater post- study self-care maintenance ( measured with the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index ) for the telemonitoring group ( P = .03 ) . Brain natriuretic peptide ( BNP ) levels , self-care management , and left ventricular ejection fraction ( LVEF ) improved significantly for both groups from baseline to post- study , but did not show a between-group difference . However , a subgroup within-group analysis using the data from the 63 patients who had attended the heart function clinic for more than 6 months revealed the telemonitoring group had significant improvements from baseline to post- study in BNP ( decreased by 150 pg/mL , P = .02 ) , LVEF ( increased by 7.4 % , P = .005 ) and self-care maintenance ( increased by 7 points , P = .05 ) and management ( increased by 14 points , P = .03 ) , while the control group did not . No differences were found between the telemonitoring and control groups in terms of hospitalization , mortality , or emergency department visits , but the trial was underpowered to detect differences in these metrics . Conclusions Our findings provide evidence of improved quality of life through improved self-care and clinical management from a mobile phone-based telemonitoring system . The use of the mobile phone-based system had high adherence and was  feasible for patients , including the elderly and those with no experience with mobile phones . Trial Registration Clinical Trials.gov BACKGROUND Small studies suggest that telemonitoring may improve heart-failure outcomes , but its effect in a large trial has not been established . METHODS We r and omly assigned 1653 patients who had recently been hospitalized for heart failure to undergo either telemonitoring ( 826 patients ) or usual care ( 827 patients ) .  Telemonitoring was accomplished by means of a telephone-based interactive voice-response system that collected daily information about symptoms and weight that was review ed by the patients ' clinicians . The primary end point was readmission for any reason or death from any cause within 180 days after enrollment . Secondary end points included hospitalization for heart failure , number of days in the hospital , and number of hospitalizations . RESULTS The median age of the patients was 61 years ; 42.0 % were female , and 39.0 % were black . The telemonitoring group and the usual-care group did not differ significantly with respect to the primary end point , which occurred in 52.3 % and 51.5 % of patients , respectively ( difference , 0.8 percentage points ; 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] , -4.0 to 5.6 ; P=0.75 by the chi-square test ) . Readmission for any reason occurred in 49.3 % of patients in the telemonitoring group and 47.4 % of patients in the usual-care group ( difference , 1.9 percentage points ; 95 % CI , -3.0 to 6.7 ; P=0.45 by the chi-square test ) . Death occurred in 11.1 % of the telemonitoring group and 11.4 % of the usual care group ( difference , -0.2 percentage points ; 95 % CI , -3.3 to 2.8 ; P=0.88 by the chi-square test ) . There were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to the secondary end points or the time to the primary end point or its components . No adverse events were reported . CONCLUSIONS Among patients recently hospitalized for heart failure , telemonitoring did not improve outcomes . The results indicate the importance of a thorough , independent evaluation of disease-management strategies before their adoption . ( Funded by the National Heart , Lung , and Blood Institute ; Clinical Trials.gov number , NCT00303212 . ) AIMS To evaluate the feasibility of a nurse-monitored , outpatient-care program for elderly patients previously hospitalized with chronic heart failure . METHODS AND RESULTS Patients with chronic heart failure hospitalized in the medical wards were screened to find those eligible for a r and omized study to compare the effect of a nurse-monitored , outpatient-care programme aim ing at symptom management , with conventional care .  The inclusion criteria were patients classified in New York Heart Association classes III-IV , age 65 years , and eligibility for an outpatient follow-up programme .  The total in-hospital population of patients discharged with a heart-failure diagnosis was surveyed . Eighty-nine per cent of all the hospitalized patients ( n=1541 ) were 65 years old . Of these , 69 % ( n=1058 ) were treated in the medical wards which were screened . The study criteria were met by 158 patients ( 15 % ) . No visits to the nurse occurred in 23 cases among the 79 patients r and omized to the structured-care group ( 29 % ) , mainly on account of death or fatigue . The numbers of hospitalizations and hospital days did not differ between the structured-care and the usual-care groups . CONCLUSIONS Given the selection criteria and the outline of the interventions , the outpatient , nurse-monitored , symptom-management programme was not feasible for the majority of these elderly patients with moderate-to-severe , chronic heart failure , mainly because of the small proportion of eligible patients and the high drop-out rate . Management of these patients would have to be more adjusted to their home situation
St and ardised description of the telemonitoring algorithm can expedite the identification of key components in telemonitoring algorithms that allow accurate prediction of worsening heart failure
Introduction : Non-invasive telemonitoring programmes detecting deterioration of heart failure are increasingly used in heart failure care .
Aim : The aim of this study was to compare different monitoring algorithms used in non-invasive telemonitoring programmes for patients with chronic heart failure .