Heart disease needs to be closely tracked in order to avoid such hospitalizations, and home-monitoring interventions may be especially useful, UCLA researchers say.

In a paper released Tuesday, researchers discuss the importance of heart failure disease-management and early identification, as well as the treatment of body-fluid congestion, using a number of home-monitoring strategies, including self-care, such as daily weighing and medication management; phone calls from a nurse or automated response system; home health visits; and telemedicine and remote monitoring with implantable and external devices to track vital information.

Heart failure is when the heart is unable to pump a sufficient amount of blood, and fails to provide the body with the necessary amount of blood and oxygen to survive.  In 2011, 5.8 million people were affected by heart disease in the U.S. — its is the most common cause of hospitalization among adults over 65. In addition, over 60% of patients die within 10 years of first feeling a symptom.

Future studies are planned to locate those patients who will receive the most benefits from home monitoring, and also determine what other body readings they should check, such as blood pressure or cholesterol, which also affect the hearts ability to function correctly.

The authors of the study also reveal that there will be a new selection of home monitoring devices that measure the pressure of your heart’s ventricle chamber, as well as its pulmonary arteries, which both contribute to the successful managing of the heart.

With an effective combination of cardiology visits, medications, and home monitoring, the patient suffering from a heart ailment can feel a bit more empowered, knowing they are able to be proactively manage and improve their heart condition.

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