He@rt - Connected to health

Project objectives

The "HE@RT: Connected to Health" project aims to develop and implement a technological prototype to support physicians in the early detection of signs of disease flare-ups in patients with heart failure (HF). The goal is to demonstrate, through the adoption of a tele-monitoring system, the concrete possibility of detecting early warning signs of the disease flare-up. HE@RT has developed a home tele-monitoring system to be implemented for a maximum of 12 months. The trial involved the recruitment of 47 heart failure patients monitored with the technologies and 43 patients specifically recruited as a "control group" and followed according to traditional care models.

A randomized, parallel-group clinical trial was conducted that included patients with heart failure aged 65 years and older, discharged from the Campus Biomedico University Hospital from an acute care unit or a day hospital. Patients were assigned to either treatment (telemonitoring of oxyhemoglobin saturation, heart rate, and blood pressure, plus telephone support, N=47) or standard care (N=43). The outcome measure used was a combination of all-cause mortality and hospital admission. The mean age of the sample was 80 years, with a mean ejection fraction of 46%. The two groups were similar, with the exception of a higher prevalence of women and disability in the control group. The incidence of death/hospitalization was 42% in the control group and 21% in the experimental group (relative risk: 0.508, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.264–0.977). Similar results were obtained when taking into account patient origin (acute care unit vs. day hospital), sex, and disability (Hazard Ratio: 0.419, 95% CI: 0.187–0.937).    

Start and end date

July 2012 - July 2014

Project Manager

Prof. Raffaele Antonelli Incalzi - Scientific manager

Coordinating institution of the project

Intersistemi Italia, in collaboration with Evolvo, a group company specializing in innovation and development of telemedicine and digital healthcare solutions.

Other Institutions involved

• AGE Consulting
• Rome Research Consortium

Funding source(s).

Lazio Financial Institution for Development (FILAS)