Evaluation of Heart Failure Telemonitoring Eligibility Criteria

After an episode of heart failure, patients have been included in a telemonitoring program in order to reduce rehospitalizations for heart failure and improve follow-up. On a daily basis, the patients weigh themselves on connected scales which enables a team of dedicated nurses to follow them closely. If need be they can call the patient, ask for a blood exam and adapt their prescription. Indeed, if remote support is insufficient, patients can be hospitalized prematurely and so decrease the duration of hospital care. The inclusion criteria correspond to either an episode of heart failure in the last 12 months or dyspnea at least NYHA2 with NT-proBNP over 1000pg/mL. The follow up is renewed every 6 months. Patients are excluded from monitoring when criteria are no longer fulfilled. As these characteristics have been chosen empirically, our aim is to see if patients no longer presenting these standards have indeed a low chance of bad evolution. Information is gathered from their medical record at inclusion, exclusion and 1 year after exclusion. A short phone call is made after 1 year of exclusion, to appreciate their evolution and gather information concerning their symptoms, treatments ...