Team based collaborative care model, facilitated by mHealth enabled and trained nurses, for management of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in India (TIME-HF): design and rationale of a parallel group, open label, multi-centric cluster randomised controlled trial.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a debilitating condition associated with enormous public health burden. Management of HF is complex as it requires care-coordination with different cadres of health care providers. We propose to develop a team based collaborative care model (CCM), facilitated by trained nurses, for management of HF with the support of mHealth and evaluate its acceptability and effectiveness in Indian setting. Methods: The proposed study will use mixed-methods research. Formative qualitative research will identify barriers and facilitators for implementing CCM for the management of HF. Subsequently, a cluster randomised controlled trial (RCT) involving 22 centres (tertiary-care hospitals) and more than 1500 HF patients will be conducted to assess the efficacy of the CCM in improving the overall survival as well as days alive and out of hospital (DAOH) at two-years (CTRI/2021/11/037797). The DAOH will be calculated by subtracting days in hospital and days from death until end of study follow-up from the total follow-up time. Poisson regression with a robust variance estimate and an offset term to account for clustering will be employed in the analyses of DAOH. A rate ratio and its 95% confidence interval (CI) will be estimated. The scalability of the proposed intervention model will be assessed through economic analyses (cost-effectiveness) and the acceptability of the intervention at both the provider and patient level will be understood through both qualitative and quantitative process evaluation methods. Potential Impact: The TIME-HF trial will provide evidence on whether a CCM with mHealth support is effective in improving the clinical outcomes of HF with reduced ejection fraction in India. The findings may change the practice of management of HF in low and middle-income countries.

Kounis syndrome secondary to intravenous cephalosporin administration.

Kounis syndrome is a clinical condition due to hypersensitivity that culminates into acute coronary syndrome (ACS) which can be fatal. A 36-year-old male with no conventional coronary risk factors presented elsewhere with a history of fever for 4 days, cough with expectoration, diarrhea and was treated with cephalosporin (Inj. Cefotaxime as an infusion) along with analgesics. He experienced generalized itching 5 minutes after cefotaxime infusion followed by sweating, headache, chest pain with facial and periorbital swelling for which he was rushed to our hospital. On examination he was afebrile with a low blood pressure. Electrocardiogram taken at an outside hospital revealed incomplete right bundle branch block and ST depression V3-V5. Investigations showed increase in troponin T. He was managed with anti-histamines and standard protocol for treatment of ACS. Coronary angiogram revealed normal coronaries. The patient improved symptomatically with treatment and was discharged on an anti-platelet, nitrate and a statin.