Current recommendations to consider initiation of palliative care (PC) in COPD patients are often based on an expected poor prognosis. However, this approach is not evidence-based, and which and when COPD patients should start PC is controversial. We aimed to assess whether current suggested recommendations for initiating PC were sufficiently reliable. We identified prognostic variables proposed in the literature for initiating PC; then, we ascertained their relationship with 1-year mortality, and finally, we validated their utility in our cohort of 697 patients hospitalized for COPD exacerbation. From 24 articles of 499 screened, we selected 20 variables and retrieved 48 original articles in which we were able to calculate the relationship between each of them and 1-year mortality. The number of studies where 1-year mortality was detailed for these variables ranged from 9 for previous hospitalizations or FEV₁ ≤30% to none for albumin ≤25 mg/dL. The percentage of 1-year mortality in the literature for these variables ranged from 5% to 60%. In the validation cohort study, the prevalence of these proposed variables ranged from 8% to 64%; only 10 of the 18 variables analyzed in our cohort reached statistical significance with Cox regression analysis, and none overcame an area under the curve ≥0.7. We conclude that none of the suggested criteria for initiating PC based on an expected poor vital prognosis in COPD patients in the short or medium term offers sufficient reliability, and consequently, they should be avoided as exclusive criteria for considering PC or at least critically appraised.

The effects of iron deficiency (ID) have been widely studied in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction. On the other hand, studies in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are few and have included small numbers of participants. The aim of this study was to assess the role that ID plays in functional capacity and quality of life (QoL) in HFpEF while comparing several iron-related biomarkers to be used as potential predictors. ID was defined as ferritin <100 ng/mL or transferrin saturation <20%. Submaximal exercise capacity, measured by the 6-min walking test (6MWT), and QoL, assessed by the Minnesotta Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), were compared between iron deficient patients and patients with normal iron status. A total of 447 HFpEF patients were included in the present cross-sectional study, and ID prevalence was 73%. Patients with ID performed worse in the 6MWT compared to patients with normal iron status (ID 271 ± 94 m vs. non-ID 310 ± 108 m, p < 0.01). They also scored higher in the MLHFQ, denoting worse QoL (ID 49 ± 22 vs. non-ID 43 ± 23, p = 0.01). Regarding iron metabolism biomarkers, serum soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) was the strongest independent predictor of functional capacity (β = −63, p < 0.0001, R² 0.39) and QoL (β = 7.95, p < 0.0001, R² 0.14) in multivariate models. This study postulates that ID is associated with worse functional capacity and QoL in HFpEF as well, and that sTfR is the best iron-related biomarker to predict both. Our study also suggests that the effects of ID could differ among HFpEF patients by left ventricular ejection fraction.

Background: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) could be a common cause of heart failure (HF). The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of CA in patients with HF. Methods: Observational, prospective, and multicenter study involving 30 Spanish hospitals. A total of 453 patients ≥ 65 years with HF and an interventricular septum or posterior wall thickness > 12 mm were included. All patients underwent a ^99mTc-DPD/PYP/HMDP scintigraphy and monoclonal bands were studied, following the current criteria for non-invasive diagnosis. In inconclusive cases, biopsies were performed. Results: The vast majority of CA were diagnosed non-invasively. The prevalence was 20.1%. Most of the CA were transthyretin (ATTR-CM, 84.6%), with a minority of cardiac light-chain amyloidosis (AL-CM, 2.2%). The remaining (13.2%) was untyped. The prevalence was significantly higher in men (60.1% vs 39.9%, p = 0.019). Of the patients with CA, 26.5% had a left ventricular ejection fraction less than 50%. Conclusions: CA was the cause of HF in one out of five patients and should be screened in the elderly with HF and myocardial thickening, regardless of sex and LVEF. Few transthyretin-gene-sequencing studies were performed in older patients. In many patients, it was not possible to determine the amyloid subtype.

The potential of mobile health (mHealth) technology combining telemonitoring and teleintervention as a non-invasive intervention to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with heart failure during the early post-discharge period (ie, the vulnerable phase) has not been evaluated to our knowledge. We investigated the efficacy of incorporating mHealth into routine heart failure management in vulnerable-phase patients. The Heart Failure Events Reduction with Remote Monitoring and eHealth Support (HERMeS) trial was a 24-week, randomised, controlled, open-label with masked endpoint adjudication, phase 3 trial conducted in ten centres (hospitals [n=9] and a primary care service [n=1]) experienced in heart failure management in Spain. We enrolled adults (aged ≥18 years) with heart failure diagnosed according to the 2016 European Society of Cardiology criteria (then-current clinical practice guidelines at the initiation of the trial) who had recently been discharged (within the preceding 30 days of enrolment) from a hospital admission that was due to heart failure decompensation, or who were in the process of discharge planning. After discharge, participants were centrally randomly assigned (1:1) via a web-based system to mHealth, comprising telemonitoring and preplanned structured health-care follow-up via videoconference, or usual care according to each centre's heart failure care framework including a nurse-led educational programme. The primary outcome was a composite of the occurrence of cardiovascular death or worsening heart failure events during the 6-month follow-up period, assessed by time-to-first-event analysis in the full analysis set by the intention-to-treat principle. No prospective systematic collection of harms information was planned. The HERMeS trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03663907, and is completed. From May 15, 2018, to April 4, 2022, 506 participants (207 [41%] women and 299 [59%] men) were randomly assigned: 255 to mHealth and 251 to usual care. The mean age of participants was 73 years (SD 13). Follow-up ended prematurely in 51 (20%) of 255 participants in the mHealth group and 36 (14%) of 251 in the usual care group. During follow-up in the mHealth group, cardiovascular death or a worsening heart failure event occurred in 43 (17%) of 255 participants, compared with 102 (41%) of 251 in the usual care group (hazard ratio for time to first event 0·35 [95% CI 0·24-0·50]; p<0·0001; relative risk reduction 65% [95% CI 50-76]). No spontaneously reported harms were reported in either group during follow-up. mHealth-based heart failure care combining teleintervention and telemonitoring reduced the risk of new fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events compared with usual care in people with a recent hospital admission due to heart failure decompensation. The current findings could help to improve the care of patients with heart failure in the transitional post-discharge period by encouraging integration of mHealth into clinical practice guidelines. The HERMeS trial was funded by an unrestricted grant from Novartis.

Background: The aims of the present analysis are to estimate the prevalence of five key chronic cardiovascular, metabolic and renal conditions at the population level, the prevalence of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system inhibitor (RAASI) medication use and the magnitude of potassium (K⁺) derangements among RAASI users. Methods and Results: We used data from more than 375,000 individuals, 55 years of age or older, included in the population-based healthcare database of the Catalan Institute of Health between 2015 and 2017. The conditions of interest were chronic heart failure (CHF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease and hypertension. RAASI medications included angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) and renin inhibitors. Hyperkalemia was defined as K⁺ levels > 5.0 mEq/L and hypokalemia as K⁺ < 3.5 mEq/L. The prevalence of chronic cardiovascular, metabolic and renal conditions was high, and particularly that of hypertension (prevalence ranging from 48.2% to 48.9%). The use of at least one RAASI medication was almost ubiquitous in these patients (75.2– 77.3%). Among RAASI users, the frequency of K⁺ derangements, mainly of hyperkalemia, was very noticeable (12% overall), particularly in patients with CKD or CHF, elderly individuals and users of MRAs. Hypokalemia was less frequent (1%). Conclusion: The high prevalence of K⁺ derangements, and particularly hyperkalemia, among RAASI users highlights the real-world relevance of K⁺ derangements, and the importance of close monitoring and management of K⁺ levels in routine clinical practice. This is likely to benefit a large number of patients, particularly those at higher risk.

Aims: The role of non-invasive telemedicine (TM) combining telemonitoring and teleintervention by videoconference (VC) in patients recently admitted due to heart failure (HF) (‘vulnerable phase’ HF patients) is not well established. The aim of the Heart failure Events reduction with Remote Monitoring and eHealth Support (HERMeS) trial is to assess the impact on clinical outcomes of implementing a TM service based on mobile health (mHealth), which includes remote daily monitoring of biometric data and symptom reporting (telemonitoring) combined with VC structured, nurse-based follow-up (teleintervention). The results will be compared with those of the comprehensive HF usual care (UC) strategy based on face-to-face on-site visits at the vulnerable post-discharge phase. Methods and results: We designed a 24 week nationwide, multicentre, randomized, controlled, open-label, blinded endpoint adjudication trial to assess the effect on cardiovascular (CV) mortality and non-fatal HF events of a TM-based comprehensive management programme, based on mHealth, for patients with chronic HF. Approximately 508 patients with a recent hospital admission due to HF decompensation will be randomized (1:1) to either structured follow-up based on face-to-face appointments (UC group) or the delivery of health care using TM. The primary outcome will be a composite of death from CV causes or non-fatal HF events (first and recurrent) at the end of a 6 month follow-up period. Key secondary endpoints will include components of the primary event analysis, recurrent event analysis, and patient-reported outcomes. Conclusions: The HERMeS trial will assess the efficacy of a TM-based follow-up strategy for real-world ‘vulnerable phase’ HF patients combining telemonitoring and teleintervention.