However, the lockdown had little or no impact in the short term on the vital parameters and clinical status of patients with heart failure benefiting from multiparametric remote monitoring performed by the Bordeaux University Hospital, as shown in the article Remote monitoring of patients with heart failure during the first national lockdown for COVID-19 in France, published in the European Heart Journal – Digital Health.
The clinical status of HF patients under multiparametric remote monitoring was minimally affected by lockdown restrictions despite a marked decrease in conventional measures of healthcare use. This strategy, combined with patient education, may mitigate the health risks associated with strict lockdowns for COVID-19.
This management strategy enabled early identification and home management of most decompensated heart failure events during this lockdown.
Our findings suggest that a combination of home sensors and CIED remote interrogation capabilities represent a method of complying with public health measures while preserving the care and safety of patients with chronic HF. Our experience therefore argues for the benefits of this strategy in this patient population and supports larger studies to confirm our findings.
The full article is available here (open access).