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Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-jpp-10.1177_08971900221087087 for A Retrospective Cohort Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Led Approach for Transitioning Patients to an Angiotensin Receptor—Neprilysin Inhibitor by Krishna Rana, Jessica Jay, Sonalie Patel, Carla Sueta, and Zack Deyo in Journal of Pharmacy Practice

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-2-jpp-10.1177_08971900221087087 for A Retrospective Cohort Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Led Approach for Transitioning Patients to an Angiotensin Receptor—Neprilysin Inhibitor by Krishna Rana, Jessica Jay, Sonalie Patel, Carla Sueta, and Zack Deyo in Journal of Pharmacy Practice

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Medication nonadherence is a common precipitant of heart failure (HF) hospitalization and is associated with poor outcomes. Recent analyses of national data focus on long-term medication adherence. Little is known about adherence of patients with HF immediately after hospitalization. Hospitalized patients with HF were identified from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities data were linked to Medicare inpatient and part D claims from 2006 to 2009. Inclusion criteria were a chart-adjudicated diagnosis of acute decompensated or chronic HF; documentation of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB), β blocker (BB), or diuretic prescription at discharge; and Medicare part D coverage. Proportion of ambulatory days covered was calculated for up to twelve 30-day periods after discharge. Adherence was defined as ≥80% proportion of ambulatory days covered. We identified 402 participants with Medicare part D: mean age 75, 30% men, and 41% black. Adherence at 1, 3, and 12 months was 70%, 61%, and 53% for ACEI/ARB; 76%, 66%, and 62% for BB; and 75%, 68%, and 59% for diuretic. Adherence to any single drug class was positively correlated with being adherent to other classes. Adherence varied by geographic site/race for ACEI/ARB and BB but not diuretics. In conclusion, despite having part D coverage, medication adherence after discharge for all 3 medication classes decreases over 2 to 4 months after discharge, followed by a plateau over the subsequent year. Interventions should focus on early and sustained adherence.

Self-care training can reduce hospitalization for heart failure (HF), and more intensive intervention may benefit more vulnerable patients, including those with low literacy.

Background: Self-management programs for patients with heart failure can reduce hospitalizations and mortality. However, no programs have analyzed their usefulness for patients with low literacy. We compared the efficacy of a heart failure self-management program designed for patients with low literacy versus usual care. Methods: We performed a 12-month randomized controlled trial. From November 2001 to April 2003, we enrolled participants aged 30–80, who had heart failure and took furosemide. Intervention patients received education on self-care emphasizing daily weight measurement, diuretic dose self-adjustment, and symptom recognition and response. Picture-based educational materials, a digital scale, and scheduled telephone follow-up were provided to reinforce adherence. Control patients received a generic heart failure brochure and usual care. Primary outcomes were combined hospitalization or death, and heart failure-related quality of life. Results: 123 patients (64 control, 59 intervention) participated; 41% had inadequate literacy. Patients in the intervention group had a lower rate of hospitalization or death (crude incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.69; CI 0.4, 1.2; adjusted IRR = 0.53; CI 0.32, 0.89). This difference was larger for patients with low literacy (IRR = 0.39; CI 0.16, 0.91) than for higher literacy (IRR = 0.56; CI 0.3, 1.04), but the interaction was not statistically significant. At 12 months, more patients in the intervention group reported monitoring weights daily (79% vs. 29%, p < 0.0001). After adjusting for baseline demographic and treatment differences, we found no difference in heart failure-related quality of life at 12 months (difference = -2; CI -5, +9). Conclusion: A primary care-based heart failure self-management program designed for patients with low literacy reduces the risk of hospitalizations or death.

Background Individuals with coronary artery disease are at high risk for adverse health outcomes. This risk can be diminished by aggressive lipid management, but adherence to lipid management guidelines is far from ideal and substantial racial disparities in care have been reported. Lipid treatment and goal attainment information is not readily available for large patient populations seen in the fee-for-service setting. As a result, national programs to improve lipid management in this setting may focus on lipid testing as an indicator of lipid management. We describe the detection, treatment, and control of dyslipdemia for African Americans and Caucasians with coronary artery disease to evaluate whether public health programs focusing on lipid testing can eliminate racial disparities in lipid management. Methods Physicians and medical practices with high numbers of prescriptions for coronary artery disease medications were invited to participate in the Quality Assurance Program. Medical records were reviewed from a random sample of patients with coronary artery disease seen from 1995 through 1998. Data related to the detection, treatment, and control of dyslipidemia were abstracted from the medical record and evaluated in cross-sectional stratified and logistic regression analyses using generalized estimation equations. Results Data from the medical records of 1,046 African Americans and 22,077 Caucasians seen in outpatient medical practices in 23 states were analyzed. African-American patients were younger, more likely to be women and to have diabetes, heart failure, and hypertension. The low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) testing rate for Caucasian men was over 1.4 times higher than that for African-American women and about 1.3 times higher than that for African-American men. Almost 60% of tested Caucasian men and less than half of tested African Americans were prescribed lipid-lowering drugs. Tested and treated Caucasian men had the highest LDL-C goal attainment (35%) and African-American men the lowest (21%). Conclusions Although increased lipid testing is clearly needed for African Americans, improvements in treatment and control are also necessary to eliminate racial disparities in lipid management. Disparities in treatment and goal attainment must be better understood and reflected in policy to improve the health of underserved populations.

Increasingly, epidemiologic studies use administrative data to identify atrial fibrillation (AF). Capture of incident AF is not well documented. We examined incidence rates and concordance of AF diagnosis based on active cohort follow-up versus surveillance of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study.

The relationship between dyspnea and incident heart failure (HF) and myocardial infarction (MI) among patients without previously diagnosed cardiopulmonary disease is unclear. We studied the prognostic relevance of self-reported dyspnea for cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality in persons without previously diagnosed cardiopulmonary disease.

BACKGROUND: The risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with heart failure after coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) has not been examined in a contemporary clinical trial of surgical revascularization. This analysis describes the incidence, timing, and clinical predictors of SCD after CABG. METHODS: Patients enrolled in the STICH trial (Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Heart Failure) who underwent CABG with or without surgical ventricular reconstruction were included. We excluded patients with prior implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and those randomized only to medical therapy. The primary outcome was SCD as adjudicated by a blinded committee. A Cox model was used to examine and identify predictors of SCD. The Fine and Gray method was used to estimate the incidence of SCD accounting for the competing risk of other deaths. RESULTS: Over a median follow-up of 46 months, 113 of 1411 patients who received CABG without (n = 934) or with (n = 477) surgical ventricular reconstruction had SCD; 311 died of other causes. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction at enrollment was 28±9%. The 5-year cumulative incidence of SCD was 8.5%. Patients who had SCD and those who did not die were younger and had fewer comorbid conditions than did those who died of causes other than SCD. In the first 30 days after CABG, SCD (n=5) accounted for 7% of all deaths. The numerically greatest monthly rate of SCD was in the 31- to 90-day time period. In a multivariable analysis including baseline demographics, risk factors, coronary anatomy, and left ventricular function, end-systolic volume index and B-type natriuretic peptide were most strongly associated with SCD. CONCLUSIONS: The monthly risk of SCD shortly after CABG among patients with a low left ventricular ejection fraction is highest between the first and third months, suggesting that risk stratification for SCD should occur early in the postoperative period, particularly in patients with increased preoperative end-systolic volume index or B-type natriuretic peptide. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT0002359.