Robert M. Carney

A Multidisciplinary Intervention to Prevent the Readmission of Elderly Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

BACKGROUND Congestive heart failure is the most common indication for admission to the hospital among older adults. Behavioral factors, such as poor compliance with treatment, frequently contribute to exacerbations of heart failure, a fact suggesting that many admissions could be prevented. METHODS We conducted a prospective, randomized trial of the effect of a nurse-directed, multidisciplinary intervention on rates of readmission within 90 days of hospital discharge, quality of life, and costs of care for high-risk patients 70 years of age or older who were hospitalized with congestive heart failure. The intervention consisted of comprehensive education of the patient and family, a prescribed diet, social-service consultation and planning for an early discharge, a review of medications, and intensive follow-up. RESULTS Survival for 90 days without readmission, the primary outcome measure, was achieved in 91 of the 142 patients in the treatment group, as compared with 75 of the 140 patients in the control group, who received conventional care (P = 0.09). There were 94 readmissions in the control group and 53 in the treatment group (risk ratio, 0.56; P = 0.02). The number of readmissions for heart failure was reduced by 56.2 percent in the treatment group (54 vs. 24, P = 0.04), whereas the number of readmissions for other causes was reduced by 28.5 percent (40 vs. 29, P not significant). In the control group, 23 patients (16.4 percent) had more than one readmission, as compared with 9 patients (6.3 percent) in the treatment group (risk ratio, 0.39; P = 0.01). In a subgroup of 126 patients, quality-of-life scores at 90 days improved more from base line for patients in the treatment group (P = 0.001). Because of the reduction in hospital admissions, the overall cost of care was

Mood Disorders in the Medically Ill: Scientific Review and Recommendations

460 less per patient in the treatment group. CONCLUSIONS A nurse-directed, multidisciplinary intervention can improve quality of life and reduce hospital use and medical costs for elderly patients with congestive heart failure.

Major depressive disorder predicts cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this review is to assess the relationship between mood disorders and development, course, and associated morbidity and mortality of selected medical illnesses, review evidence for treatment, and determine needs in clinical practice and research. DATA SOURCES Data were culled from the 2002 Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Conference proceedings and a literature review addressing prevalence, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment. This review also considered the experience of primary and specialty care providers, policy analysts, and patient advocates. The review and recommendations reflect the expert opinion of the authors. STUDY SELECTION/DATA EXTRACTION Reviews of epidemiology and mechanistic studies were included, as were open-label and randomized, controlled trials on treatment of depression in patients with medical comorbidities. Data on study design, population, and results were extracted for review of evidence that includes tables of prevalence and pharmacological treatment. The effect of depression and bipolar disorder on selected medical comorbidities was assessed, and recommendations for practice, research, and policy were developed. CONCLUSIONS A growing body of evidence suggests that biological mechanisms underlie a bidirectional link between mood disorders and many medical illnesses. In addition, there is evidence to suggest that mood disorders affect the course of medical illnesses. Further prospective studies are warranted.

Depression as a risk factor for cardiac mortality and morbidity: a review of potential mechanisms.

&NA; Fifty‐two patients undergoing cardiac catheterization and subsequently found to have significant coronary artery disease (CAD) were given structured psychiatric interviews before catheterization. Nine of these patients met criteria for major depressive disorder. All 52 patients were contacted 12 months after catheterization, and the occurrence of myocardial infarction, angioplasty, coronary bypass surgery and death was determined. Results of the study show that major depressive disorder was the best predictor of these major cardiac events during the 12 months following catheterization. The predictive effect was independent of the severity of CAD, left ventricular ejection fraction, and the presence of smoking. Furthermore, with the exception of smoking, there were no statistically significant differences between those patients with major depressive disorder and the remaining patients on any variable studied. The possible mechanisms relating major depressive disorder to subsequent cardiac events are discussed. It is concluded that major depressive disorder is an important independent risk factor for the occurrence of major cardiac events in patients with CAD.

Depressive Symptoms, Health Behaviors, and Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease

Depression increases the risk of cardiac mortality and morbidity in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD), but the mechanisms that underlie this association remain unclear. This review considers the evidence for several behavioral and physiological mechanisms that might explain how depression increases the risk for incident coronary disease and for subsequent cardiac morbidity and mortality. The candidate mechanisms include: (1). antidepressant cardiotoxicity; (2). association of depression with cardiac risk factors such as cigarette smoking, hypertension, diabetes, and reduced functional capacity; (3). association of depression with greater coronary disease severity; (4). nonadherence to cardiac prevention and treatment regimens; (5). lower heart rate variability (HRV) reflecting altered cardiac autonomic tone; (6). increased platelet aggregation; and (7). inflammatory processes. Despite recent advances in our understanding of these potential mechanisms, further research is needed to determine how depression increases risk for cardiac morbidity and mortality.

Association of depression witk reduced heart rate variability in coronary artery disease

CONTEXT Depressive symptoms predict adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary heart disease, but the mechanisms responsible for this association are unknown. OBJECTIVE To determine why depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS The Heart and Soul Study is a prospective cohort study of 1017 outpatients with stable coronary heart disease followed up for a mean (SD) of 4.8 (1.4) years. SETTING Participants were recruited between September 11, 2000, and December 20, 2002, from 12 outpatient clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area and were followed up to January 12, 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Baseline depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). We used proportional hazards models to evaluate the extent to which the association of depressive symptoms with subsequent cardiovascular events (heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or death) was explained by baseline disease severity and potential biological or behavioral mediators. RESULTS A total of 341 cardiovascular events occurred during 4876 person-years of follow-up. The age-adjusted annual rate of cardiovascular events was 10.0% among the 199 participants with depressive symptoms (PHQ score > or = 10) and 6.7% among the 818 participants without depressive symptoms (hazard ratio [HR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval, [CI], 1.16-1.95; P = .002). After adjustment for comorbid conditions and disease severity, depressive symptoms were associated with a 31% higher rate of cardiovascular events (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.00-1.71; P = .04). Additional adjustment for potential biological mediators attenuated this association (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 0.94-1.63; P = .12). After further adjustment for potential behavioral mediators, including physical inactivity, there was no significant association (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.79-1.40; P = .75). CONCLUSION In this sample of outpatients with coronary heart disease, the association between depressive symptoms and adverse cardiovascular events was largely explained by behavioral factors, particularly physical inactivity.

Major Depression and Medication Adherence in Elderly Patients With Coronary Artery Disease

Abstract Decreased heart rate (HR) variability is an independent risk factor for mortality in cardiac populations. Clinical depression has also been associated with adverse outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This study tests the hypothesis that depressed patients with CAD have decreased HR variability compared with nondepressed CAD patients. Nineteen patients with angiographically documented CAD and either major or minor depression were compared with a sample of nondepressed CAD patients according to age, sex, and smoking status. All patients underwent 24-hour Holter monitoring, and the standard deviation of all normal-to-normal intervals was used as the primary index of HR variability. HR variability was significantly lower in depressed than nondepressed patients (90 ± 35 vs 117 ± 26 ms; p

Depression, the autonomic nervous system, and coronary heart disease.

Little is known about the effects of depression on adherence to medical treatment regimens in older patients with chronic medical illnesses. Poor adherence may explain the increased risk of medical morbidity and mortality found in depressed medical patients. Ten of 55 patients over the age of 64 with coronary artery disease met the criteria for major depression from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 1987). All patients were prescribed a twice-per-day regimen of low dose aspirin to reduce their risk for myocardial infarction. Medication adherence was assessed for 3 weeks by an unobtrusive electronic monitoring device. Depressed patients adhered to the regimen on 45% of days, but nondepressed patients, on 69% (p < .02). Thus, major depression is associated with poor adherence to a regimen of prophylactic aspirin after the diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Depression as a Risk Factor for Poor Prognosis Among Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome: Systematic Review and Recommendations A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

Depression is a risk factor for medical morbidity and mortality in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) may explain why depressed patients are at increased risk. Studies of medically well, depressed psychiatric patients have found elevated levels of plasma catecholamines and other markers of altered ANS function compared with controls. Studies of depressed patients with CHD have also uncovered evidence of ANS dysfunction, including elevated heart rate, low heart rate variability, exaggerated heart rate responses to physical stressors, high variability in ventricular repolarization, and low baroreceptor sensitivity. All of these indicators of ANS dysfunction have been associated with increased risks of mortality and cardiac morbidity in patients with CHD. Further research is needed to determine whether ANS dysfunction mediates the effects of depression on the course and outcome of CHD, and to develop clinical interventions that improve cardiovascular autonomic regulation while relieving depression in patients with CHD. ANS = autonomic nervous system; CHD = coronary heart disease; HRV = heart rate variability; MI = myocardial infarction; NE = norepinephrine; SNS = sympathetic nervous system.

Effects of nortriptyline on depression and glycemic control in diabetes: results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background— Although prospective studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses have documented an association between depression and increased morbidity and mortality in a variety of cardiac populations, depression has not yet achieved formal recognition as a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome by the American Heart Association and other health organizations. The purpose of this scientific statement is to review available evidence and recommend whether depression should be elevated to the status of a risk factor for patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods and Results— Writing group members were approved by the American Heart Association’s Scientific Statement and Manuscript Oversight Committees. A systematic literature review on depression and adverse medical outcomes after acute coronary syndrome was conducted that included all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, and composite outcomes for mortality and nonfatal events. The review assessed the strength, consistency, independence, and generalizability of the published studies. A total of 53 individual studies (32 reported on associations with all-cause mortality, 12 on cardiac mortality, and 22 on composite outcomes) and 4 meta-analyses met inclusion criteria. There was heterogeneity across studies in terms of the demographic composition of study samples, definition and measurement of depression, length of follow-up, and covariates included in the multivariable models. Despite limitations in some individual studies, our review identified generally consistent associations between depression and adverse outcomes. Conclusions— Despite the heterogeneity of published studies included in this review, the preponderance of evidence supports the recommendation that the American Heart Association should elevate depression to the status of a risk factor for adverse medical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome.