RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Heart failure presents a major public health problem due to its high prevalence and the increasing number of hospital admissions for this condition. A coordinated healthcare network involving general practitioners and cardiologists was set up in the east of Paris in an effort to improve the management and outcomes of patients with severe heart failure. AIMS: To reinforce patient education, improve compliance with medications and identify symptoms requiring treatment modification. METHODS: In this 'before and after' study, the control group comprised patients hospitalized for severe heart failure who received conventional management in the year preceding the network set-up. The comparative group consisted of patients hospitalized for severe heart failure who underwent network-led care. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between rates of first rehospitalization and all-cause mortality at 1 year between control and network groups, or between rates of first hospitalization due to cardiac causes, time to the first event, duration of hospitalization, rates of cardiac death or time to death. CONCLUSIONS: In this non-randomized study, we found no benefit from management according to the RESICARD healthcare network in terms of mortality or hospitalization in patients with severe chronic heart failure.