Samantha Nabb

Recall of lifestyle advice in patients recently hospitalised with heart failure: A EuroHeart Failure Survey analysis

There are limited data on recall and implementation of lifestyle advice in patients with heart failure (HF).

Self-rated health and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure.

In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), there is limited information on self‐rated health (SRH). We aimed to examine the distribution of SRH and whether SRH is associated with mortality in patients with stable CHF.

Clinical determinants of poor six-minute walk test performance in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and no major structural heart disease.

The clinical determinants of six‐minute walk test (6‐MWT) performance in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) have rarely been investigated, and it is not clear whether they differ from patients referred for the assessment of symptoms of heart failure who do not have major structural heart disease (MSHD).

A randomised controlled trial of three or one breathing technique training sessions for breathlessness in people with malignant lung disease

BackgroundAbout 90 % of patients with intra-thoracic malignancy experience breathlessness. Breathing training is helpful, but it is unknown whether repeated sessions are needed. The present study aims to test whether three sessions are better than one for breathlessness in this population.MethodsThis is a multi-centre randomised controlled non-blinded parallel arm trial. Participants were allocated to three sessions or single (1:2 ratio) using central computer-generated block randomisation by an independent Trials Unit and stratified for centre. The setting was respiratory, oncology or palliative care clinics at eight UK centres. Inclusion criteria were people with intrathoracic cancer and refractory breathlessness, expected prognosis ≥3 months, and no prior experience of breathing training. The trial intervention was a complex breathlessness intervention (breathing training, anxiety management, relaxation, pacing, and prioritisation) delivered over three hour-long sessions at weekly intervals, or during a single hour-long session. The main primary outcome was worst breathlessness over the previous 24 hours (‘worst’), by numerical rating scale (0 = none; 10 = worst imaginable). Our primary analysis was area under the curve (AUC) ‘worst’ from baseline to 4 weeks. All analyses were by intention to treat.ResultsBetween April 2011 and October 2013, 156 consenting participants were randomised (52 three; 104 single). Overall, the ‘worst’ score reduced from 6.81 (SD, 1.89) to 5.84 (2.39). Primary analysis [n = 124 (79 %)], showed no between-arm difference in the AUC: three sessions 22.86 (7.12) vs single session 22.58 (7.10); P value = 0.83); mean difference 0.2, 95 % CIs (–2.31 to 2.97). Complete case analysis showed a non-significant reduction in QALYs with three sessions (mean difference –0.006, 95 % CIs –0.018 to 0.006). Sensitivity analyses found similar results. The probability of the single session being cost-effective (threshold value of £20,000 per QALY) was over 80 %.ConclusionsThere was no evidence that three sessions conferred additional benefits, including cost-effectiveness, over one. A single session of breathing training seems appropriate and minimises patient burden.Trial registrationRegistry: ISRCTN; Trial registration number: ISRCTN49387307; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN49387307; registration date: 25/01/2011

Does home oxygen therapy (HOT) in addition to standard care reduce disease severity and improve symptoms in people with chronic heart failure? A randomised trial of home oxygen therapy for patients with chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND Home oxygen therapy (HOT) is commonly used for patients with severe chronic heart failure (CHF) who have intractable breathlessness. There is no trial evidence to support its use. OBJECTIVES To detect whether or not there was a quality-of-life benefit from HOT given as long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT) for at least 15 hours per day in the home, including overnight hours, compared with best medical therapy (BMT) in patients with severely symptomatic CHF. DESIGN A pragmatic, two-arm, randomised controlled trial recruiting patients with severe CHF. It included a linked qualitative substudy to assess the views of patients using home oxygen, and a free-standing substudy to assess the haemodynamic effects of acute oxygen administration. SETTING Heart failure outpatient clinics in hospital or the community, in a range of urban and rural settings. PARTICIPANTS Patients had to have heart failure from any aetiology, New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV symptoms, at least moderate left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and be receiving maximally tolerated medical management. Patients were excluded if they had had a cardiac resynchronisation therapy device implanted within the past 3 months, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease fulfilling the criteria for LTOT or malignant disease that would impair survival or were using a device or medication that would impede their ability to use LTOT. INTERVENTIONS Patients received BMT and were randomised (unblinded) to open-label LTOT, prescribed for 15 hours per day including overnight hours, or no oxygen therapy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary end point was quality of life as measured by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure (MLwHF) questionnaire score at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included assessing the effect of LTOT on patient symptoms and disease severity, and assessing its acceptability to patients and carers. RESULTS Between April 2012 and February 2014, 114 patients were randomised to receive either LTOT or BMT. The mean age was 72.3 years [standard deviation (SD) 11.3 years] and 70% were male. Ischaemic heart disease was the cause of heart failure in 84%; 95% were in NYHA class III; the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 27.8%; and the median N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic hormone was 2203 ng/l. The primary analysis used a covariance pattern mixed model which included patients only if they provided data for all baseline covariates adjusted for in the model and outcome data for at least one post-randomisation time point (n = 102: intervention, n = 51; control, n = 51). There was no difference in the MLwHF questionnaire score at 6 months between the two arms [at baseline the mean score was 54.0 (SD 18.4) for LTOT and 54.0 (SD 17.9) for BMT; at 6 months the mean score was 48.1 (SD 18.5) for LTOT and 49.0 (SD 20.2) for BMT; adjusted mean difference -0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI) -6.88 to 6.69; p = 0.98]. At 3 months, the adjusted mean MLwHF questionnaire score was lower in the LTOT group (-5.47, 95% CI -10.54 to -0.41; p = 0.03) and breathlessness scores improved, although the effect did not persist to 6 months. There was no effect of LTOT on any secondary measure. There was a greater number of deaths in the BMT arm (n = 12 vs. n = 6). Adherence was poor, with only 11% of patients reporting using the oxygen as prescribed. CONCLUSIONS Although the study was significantly underpowered, HOT prescribed for 15 hours per day and subsequently used for a mean of 5.4 hours per day has no impact on quality of life as measured by the MLwHF questionnaire score at 6 months. Suggestions for future research include (1) a trial of patients with severe heart failure randomised to have emergency oxygen supply in the house, supplied by cylinders rather than an oxygen concentrator, powered to detect a reduction in admissions to hospital, and (2) a study of bed-bound patients with heart failure who are in the last few weeks of life, powered to detect changes in symptom severity. TRIAL REGISTRATION Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN60260702. FUNDING This project was funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 19, No. 75. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Development and Validation of the Compliant and Principled Sportspersonship Scale

Purpose: A new measure of sportspersonship, which differentiates between compliance and principled approaches, was developed and initially validated in 3 studies. Method: Study 1 developed items, assessed content validity, and proposed a model. Study 2 tested the factorial validity of the model on an independent sample. Study 3 further tested the factorial validity on another independent sample as well as the construct validity. Results: In Study 1, a 71-item questionnaire was developed. Exploratory factor analysis reduced the questionnaire to a 6-factor, 33-item scale explaining 47.70% of the variance. Study 2 tested this revised questionnaire in a series of confirmatory factor analyses, presenting a 24-item and 5-factor model with acceptable fit, χ2(242) = 455.9, comparative fit index = .93, Tucker-Lewis Index = .92, standardized root mean square residual = .05, root mean square error of approximation = .04. Study 3 provided some evidence to support the construct validity of the 24-item scale using theoretically associated measures. Conclusions: This series of studies provided some initial validity evidences of the Compliant and Principled Sportspersonship Scale.