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Remote Monitoring to Reduce Heart Failure Readmissions

  • Pathophysiology of Myocardial Failure (I Anand and M Patarroyo-Aponte, Section Editors)
  • Published:
Current Heart Failure Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

Rehospitalization for heart failure remains a challenge in the treatment of affected patients. The ability to remotely monitor patients for worsening heart failure may provide an avenue through which therapeutic interventions can be made to prevent a rehospitalization. Available data on remote monitoring to reduce heart failure rehospitalizations are reviewed within.

Recent Findings

Strategies to reduce readmissions include clinical telemonitoring, bioimpedance changes, biomarkers, and remote hemodynamic monitoring. Telemonitoring is readily available, but has low sensitivity and adherence. No data exist to demonstrate the efficacy of this strategy in reducing admissions. Bioimpedance offers improved sensitivity compared to telemonitoring, but has not demonstrated an ability to reduce hospitalizations and is currently limited to those patients who have separate indications for an implantable device. Biomarker levels have shown variable results in the ability to reduce hospitalizations and remain without definitive proof supporting their utilization. Remote hemodynamic monitoring has shown the strongest ability to reduce heart failure readmissions and is currently approved for this purpose. However, remote hemodynamic monitoring requires an invasive procedure and may not be cost-effective.

Summary

All currently available strategies to reduce hospitalizations with remote monitoring have drawbacks and challenges. Remote hemodynamic monitoring is currently the most efficacious based on data, but is not without its own imperfections.

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  1. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 473. W 12th Ave, Suite 200 DHLRI, Columbus, OH, 43210, USA

    Sitaramesh Emani

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Correspondence to Sitaramesh Emani.

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Sitaramesh Emani has received grant funding from St. Jude Medical, Inc. as well as travel reimbursement from Boston Scientific. He has also received grant support from Gilead Sciences and is on the advisory board of CareDX outside of the submitted work.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Pathophysiology of Myocardial Failure

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Emani, S. Remote Monitoring to Reduce Heart Failure Readmissions. Curr Heart Fail Rep 14, 40–47 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-017-0315-2

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