Patient Referral Practices to Advanced Heart Failure Centers

Despite major advances in treatment, heart failure (HF) remains a highly morbid disease adversely impacting quality of life (QOL) and survival. Medical and device therapies for HF have improved outcomes, however penetration of advanced therapies such as left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support and orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) remains low [1-6]. Advanced heart failure (AHF) management is multifaceted, requiring the coordinated care of a specialized, multidisciplinary team [6-9]. The ability to offer OHT and/or LVAD depends on many factors including timeliness of referrals; however, the pattern of referrals remains largely unknown.
Source: Journal of Cardiac Failure - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research