Purpose: This work addresses the unanswered question of whether multidisciplinary care (MDC) of heart failure (HF) can reduce readmissions when optimal medical care is applied in both intervention and control groups.
Methods: In a randomized, controlled study, 98 patients (mean age, 70.8 +/- 10.5 years) admitted to hospital with left ventricular failure (New York Heart Association Class IV) were assigned to routine care (RC, n = 47) or MDC (n = 51). All patients received the same components of inpatient, optimal medical care of HF: specialist-led inpatient care; titration to maximum tolerated dose of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor before discharge; attainment of predetermined discharge criteria (weight stable, off all intravenous therapy, and no change in oral regimen for 2 days). Only those in the MDC group received inpatient and outpatient education and close telephone and clinic follow-up. The primary study endpoint was rehospitalization or death for a HF-related issue at 3 months.
Main findings: At 3 months, four people had events in the MDC group (7.8% rate over 3 months) compared with 12 people (25.5% rate over 3 months) in the RC group (P = 0.04).
Conclusion: These data demonstrate for the first time the intrinsic benefit of MDC in the setting of protocol-driven, optimal medical management of HF. Moreover, the event rate of 7.8% at 3 months, as the lowest reported rate for such a high-risk group, underlines the value of this approach to the management of heart failure.