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Background We identified variation in delivery of guideline recommended care at our institution, and undertook a project to design a heart failure (HF) model of care. Aim To maximise time patients with HF spend well in the community by delivering best practice guidelines to reduce variation in care improving overall outcomes. Methods This quality improvement project focused on reducing variation in process measures of care. The HF model of care included electronic HF care bundles, a patient education pack with staff training on delivering HF patient education, referral of all HF patients to the Hospital Admissions Risk Program for phone call within 72 h, and a nurse–pharmacist early follow‐up clinic. Outcomes were assessed using interrupted time series analyses. Results The pre‐intervention group comprised 1585 patients, and post‐intervention 1720 patients with a primary diagnosis of HF admitted under general cardiology and general medicine. Interrupted time series analysis indicated 30‐day readmissions did not change in overall trend (−0.2% per month, P = 0.479) but a significant immediate step‐down of 7.8% was seen (P = 0.018). For 90‐day readmissions, a significant trend reduction over the time period was seen (−0.6% per month, P = 0.017) with a significant immediate step‐down (−9.4%, P = 0.001). Emergency department representations, in‐patient mortality and length of stay did not change significantly. Improvements in process measures were seen at audit. Conclusion This model of care resulted in overall trends of reductions in 30‐ and 90‐day readmissions, without increasing emergency department representations, mortality and length of stay. This model will be adapted as the electronic medical record is introduced at our institution.

Background Home inotropes are utilised in those with end-stage heart failure as a bridge to cardiac transplantation. The use of intravenous dobutamine has been linked to cases of eosinophilic myocardial hypersensitivity (EMH), however, little is known about incidence and predictors. Purpose We sought to examine the incidence and possible predictors of eosinophilic myocardial hypersensitivity in a cohort of patients on home inotrope therapy at a cardiac transplant centre. Methods Patients enrolled in the home inotrope program with progression to heart transplantation or ventricular assist device (VAD) with available myocardial tissue for histopathology, from January 2000 to May 2020 were included. EMH was defined by a pathologist reporting eosinophilic infiltrate with hypersensitivity on myocardial histopathology. Results From a cohort of 74 patients, 58% (43) were on dobutamine and 42% (31) were on milrinone. There were zero cases of EMH in those on milrinone. EMH was identified in 14% (6/43) of patients receiving dobutamine. In the dobutamine cohort, the mean age was 52-±12 years, with 22% being female. Non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy encompassed 62%, the remaining 38% were ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Median dobutamine dose (250 [200–282] mcg/min vs. 225 [200–291] mcg/min) and duration of therapy (41 [23–79] days vs. 53 [24–91] days) were similar between those with and without EMH. Rates of known allergy (27% vs. 33%) and asthma (1 patient in each group) were also similar between those with and without EMH. Those with EMH had a median peak eosinophil count of 0.40×109/L (IQR 0.21–0.66×109/L) compared to a peak of only 0.10×109/L (IQR 0.06–0.29×109/L) in the non-EMH cohort. There was a significant difference in the change in absolute eosinophil count between groups; over the duration of dobutamine therapy the median change in eosinophil count was 0.31×109/L (IQR 0.21–0.59×109/L) in the EMH group compared to 0.03×109/L (IQR 0.00–0.14×109/L) in the non-EMH cohort (p=0.02). Peak C-reactive protein was similar between groups (42±46mg/L vs. 44±45mg/L). Mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) reduced from 19% (±7%) to 17% (±2%) in those with EMH, while LVEF increased from 20% (±7%) to 22% (±9%) in non-EMH patients (Figure 1), p=NS. Re-presentation with heart failure requiring hospitalisation occurred in 83% in the EMH group compared to only 59% in the non-EMH group (p=0.26). The majority of patients with EMH (83%) required VAD as bridge to transplant, compared to only 41% of non-EMH (p=0.05). Conclusion(s) EMH occurred in 14% of patients receiving home dobutamine. Patients who developed EMH were more likely to require escalation in treatment to VAD as a bridge to heart transplant. In patients receiving dobutamine a reduction in LVEF, hospitalisation with decompensated heart failure and rising eosinophil count should prompt physicians to consider EMH. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None. Figure 1

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