TORINO, Italy, Oct 2, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- At-home care may be an
alternative for aged patients with suddenly worsening heart failure, Italian
medical researchers say.
The study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, found a physician-led
geriatric home care for elderly patients compared favorable with with
traditional hospital inpatient care for those experiencing heart failure.
Study leader Dr. Vittoria Tibaldi of the University of Torino, San Giovanni
Battista Hospital in Torino, Italy, randomly assigned 101 patients ages 75 and
older with suddenly worsening heart failure either to a hospital or to
therapeutic treatments in the home of the patient. At six months, 15 percent had
died -- with no significant differences between the two groups.
"The Geriatric Home Hospitalization Service patients experienced improvements in
depression, nutritional status and quality-of-life scores," the study authors
said in a statement.
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