Effect of the Remote Dielectric Sensing Vest on Reducing Heart Failure Admissions

Introduction Congestive heart failure (CHF) remains a major cause of hospital admissions in the United States despite advances guideline-directed medical therapy and cutting-edge technology. Few interventions have reliably demonstrated a sustained reduction in hospital admission. The Remote Dielectric Sensing (ReDS) vest, known as the Sensivest, is a non-invasive approach to assist in optimizing volemic status in patients with heart failure. Hypothesis In this study, we hypothesize that utilizing the ReDS vest in the outpatient setting prevented hospitalization for acute CHF exacerbation in patients with known CHF. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed to identify patients over the age of 18 with symptomatic CHF who received an outpatient ReDS vest reading in 2018. A total of 96 patients were entered in the study, and data related to demographics, heart failure variables, and use of guideline-directed medical therapy were collected. Following each ReDS vest reading, subsequent trends were tracked including CHF-related medication changes, ED visits, and hospitalizations. Results were compared to the general system population or to historical control. Results Three months after a ReDS vest reading, patients were significantly less likely to be hospitalized for CHF exacerbation compared to the interval prior to ReDS vest utilization (20.8% vs 43.8%, p Conclusions The ReDS vest offers a non-invasive, user-friendly approach to optimize management of heart failure that could offer the significant benefit of reducing hospital admission rate of these patients. Based on this study, further investigation including prospective randomized trials is warranted to identify how best to maximize the utility of this novel technology.