Heart Failure Management through Telehealth: Expanding Care and Connecting Hearts
Andrea Tedeschi, Matteo Palazzini, Giancarlo Trimarchi, Nicolina Conti, Francesco Di Spigno, Piero Gentile, Luciana D’Angelo, Andrea Garascia, Enrico Ammirati, Nuccia Morici, Daniela Aschieri
Abstract
Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity worldwide, imposing a significant burden on deaths, hospitalizations, and health costs. Anticipating patients' deterioration is a cornerstone of HF treatment: preventing congestion and end organ damage while titrating HF therapies is the aim of the majority of clinical trials. Anyway, real-life medicine struggles with resource optimization, often reducing the chances of providing a patient-tailored follow-up. Telehealth holds the potential to drive substantial qualitative improvement in clinical practice through the development of patient-centered care, facilitating resource optimization, leading to decreased outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and lengths of hospital stays. Different technologies are rising to offer the best possible care to many subsets of patients, facing any stage of HF, and challenging extreme scenarios such as heart transplantation and ventricular assist devices. This article aims to thoroughly examine the potential advantages and obstacles presented by both existing and emerging telehealth technologies, including artificial intelligence.