Belgium-HF: a unique study

Monitoring of 700 patients aims at identifying clinical parameters

Between 100,000 and 200,000 people suffer from chronic cardiac insufficiency in Belgium says Dr Jacques Col, a consultant cardiologist at St-Jean Hospital, Brussels. And he points out that of all chronic ailments it is the one with the greatest impact on quality of life. Statistics show that 40% of patients who have left hospital are likely to return for the same reason within 6 months. This has led to the establishment of the association Belgium-HF (Better Efficacity in Lowering Events by General practitioner’s intervention Using remote Monitoring in Heart Failure) which aims to reduce this rehospitalisation rate using an innovative combination of home monitoring and the role of the family doctor. It is conducting a study (which is unique in Europe) among 700 patients who are supervised by daily monitoring. The goal: to find out whether it is feasible to identify the clinical parameters that make it possible to predict the risk of death, relapse and/or hospitalisation with cardiac insufficiency and to verify whether automatic identification of these parameters (by telemonitoring) and the transmission of an alert message to the GP, which appropriate takeover of responsibility, can improve the prognosis for decompensated heart failure patients (reduction in the hospitalisation and/or mortality rate).