title: [Telemetric monitoring reduces visits to the emergency room and cost of care in patients with chronic heart failure].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tele-cardiology is the use of information technologies that help prolong survival, improve quality of life and reduce costs in health care. Heart failure is a chronic disease that leads to high care costs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the effectiveness of telemetric monitoring for controlling clinical variables, reduced emergency room visits, and cost of care in a group of patients with heart failure compared to traditional medical consultation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized, controlled and open clinical trial was conducted on 40 patients with Heart failure in a tertiary care centre in north-western Mexico. The patients were divided randomly into 2 groups of 20 patients each (telemetric monitoring, traditional medical consultation). In each participant was evaluated for: blood pressure, heart rate and body weight. The telemetric monitoring group was monitored remotely and traditional medical consultation group came to the hospital on scheduled dates. All patients could come to the emergency room if necessary.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The telemetric monitoring group decreased their weight and improved control of the disease (P=.01). Systolic blood pressure and cost of care decreased (51%) significantly compared traditional medical consultation group (P>.05). Admission to the emergency room was avoided in 100% of patients in the telemetric monitoring group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with heart failure, the telemetric monitoring was effective in reducing emergency room visits and saved significant resources in care during follow-up.
authors.affiliation: Dirección General, Hospital de Especialidades No. 2, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México.
authors.forename: Gilberto
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pérez-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Direccción de Educación e Investigación en Salud, Hospital de Especialidades No. 2, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México. Electronic address: olgabritoz@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Olga Rosa
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Brito-Zurita
authors.affiliation: División de Biomedicina, Hospital de Especialidades No. 2, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México.
authors.forename: Enrique
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sistos-Navarro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Cardiología, Hospital de Especialidades No. 2, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México.
authors.forename: Zaria Margarita
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Benítez-Aréchiga
authors.affiliation: División de Enfermería, Hospital de Especialidades No. 2, Unidad Médica de Alta Especialidad, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México.
authors.forename: Gloria Leticia
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Sarmiento-Salazar
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Urgencias Médico-Quirúrgicas, Hospital General Regional No. 1, Centro Médico Nacional del Noroeste Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta, Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Ciudad Obregón, Sonora, México.
authors.forename: José Feliciano
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vargas-Lizárraga
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017046:Cost Savings; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013686:Telemetry
keywords: Costo en salud; Insuficiencia cardíaca; Telemetry; Telemetría; health costs; heart failure