Clyde W Yancy, Gregg C Fonarow, Nancy M Albert, Anne B Curtis, Wendy Gattis Stough, Mihai Gheorghiade, J Thomas Heywood, Mark L McBride, Mandeep R Mehra, Christopher M O'Connor, Dwight Reynolds, Mary Norine Walsh
Although previous studies have documented adherence with certain established heart failure (HF) quality metrics in outpatient cardiology practices, the extent to which there is conformity with other evidence-based, guideline-driven quality metrics in outpatients with HF is unknown. IMPROVE HF is a prospective cohort study designed to characterize the current management of patients with chronic HF and left ventricular ejection fraction <or=35% in outpatient cardiology practices. We evaluated baseline data for conformity with adjunctive HF therapies including pneumococcal vaccinization, hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate (HYD/ISDN) for Black patients, statin therapy, antiplatelet therapy, smoking-cessation counseling, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (<100 mg/dl), and systolic blood pressure decrease (all patients <140 mm Hg or [optimal] <130 mm Hg)...
January 15, 2010: American Journal of Cardiology