Research Article

Echo- and B-Type Natriuretic Peptide-Guided Follow-Up versus Symptom-Guided Follow-Up: Comparison of the Outcome in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients

Figure 3

(a) Survival free from all-cause mortality in patients of the echo- and BNP-guided follow-up, in patients of the clinically driven follow-up, and in those who received no specific follow-up care (X2 53.5; ). (b) Survival curves for the combined end point of death or hospitalization for worsening heart failure in echo- and BNP-guided and symptom-guided groups and in patients who received no specific follow-up care (X2 72.4; ). When compared to patients of the symptom-guided group and those who did not receive any organized follow-up care, life was estimated to be prolonged by an average of 2.5 years and 4 years, respectively, by the echo- and BNP-guided strategy. Similar results were attained with the event-free life gain.
(a)
(b)