Acute decompensation of heart failure in the elderly frail patient: an innovative model of care
Tibaldi, V.; Isaia, G.; Ricauda, N.A.
Recenti Progressi in Medicina 101(4): 139-144
2010
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-1193 PMID: 20540398 Document Number: 644561
Heart failure is a major and growing public health problem that affects close to 10 million European and 5 million North Americans. Substitutive hospital-at-home care, defined as"a service that provides active treatment by health care professionals, in the patient's home, of a condition that otherwise would require acute hospital in-patient care", may be a safe and efficacious alternative to traditional hospital care for elderly patients with an acutely decompensated heart failure. Data discussed in this paper suggest that hospital-at-home management of selected elderly patients with acute decompensation of chronic heart failure may be associated with delayed additional admissions, improvements in quality of life and alleviation of depressive symptoms without adverse effects in regard to mortality.