The University Hospital of Wales and Vygon developed an strategy to treat heart failure patients at home

The University Hospital of Wales and the medical equipment company Vygon have partnered to provide advanced heart failure patients in Wales with palliative at-home care. The system is currently anticipated to be implemented nationally.

A group at University Hospital of Wales has fought for the right to provide infusions at home for eligible heart failure patients who are nearing the end of their lives for the past six years. This has been made possible in great part by the help of district nurses, who supervise daily treatments through round-the-clock syringe drivers.

The cutting-edge approach was applied in around 10-15% of cases, and even though it succeeded in its objectives—providing patients with their preferred setting of treatment and lowering hospital admissions—the solution was historically time- and money-consuming. However, a 12-month trial employing Vygon’s Accufuser elastomeric pump has made it possible to switch from daily to continuous seven-day infusion.

This portable elastomeric infusion pump was evaluated and created by the hospital pharmacy for the precise delivery of continuous flow infusions over an extended length of time and was successfully employed by patients.

Twelve patients in Wales have been using the system for the past year in a trial, and the hospital estimates savings of almost £1,500 and a 104-hour decrease in nurse time per patient. Due to fewer journeys to patients’ homes, the study also had a favorable effect on the community nursing team’s carbon footprint.

“The findings of this pilot are incredibly positive, since it means patients who are in end stage heart failure, to have their pump changed weekly rather than daily, allowing them to keep some sort of a normal life,” said Iona Mackenzie, a product specialist for Vygon.

“The advantage of the Accufuser is that it is easy enough to use by the patient or care provider,” she continued. A comfortable, unobtrusive, and easily portable pump is essential because palliative care of this kind might persist for months or even years.

The initiative was directed by Dr. Clea Atkinson, a consultant in supportive and palliative care at University Hospital of Wales.

She considered: Although our current strategy had been effective in maintaining patients in the community in their final year of life, it was also expensive and had ramifications for human resources. By enabling treatment and the choice to die where they desired—for the majority of patients, this was at home—this project provided a positive patient experience. However, we were also able to minimize the number of unfavorable occurrences and hospital admissions, enhancing both the cost-effectiveness of the care and its environmental impact.