Objective To evaluate the effects of out-of-hospital volume management on cardiac function indicators, exercise tolerance, readmission rate and acute heart failure (AHF) episodes in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

Methods From January to May 2023, 120 CHF patients with NYHA grade Ⅱ to Ⅳ from the department of cardiology were randomly divided into the control group and intervention group. The control group was given the regular outpatient follow-up and routine treatment, and the intervention group was given the out-of-hospital volume management on the basis of the conventional treatment. The NYHA cardiac function rating, electrolyte levels, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), lipid levels, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 6-min walk test (6-MWT), Minnesota living with heart failure questionnaire (MLHFQ), AHF episodes, and readmission were evaluated in two groups before discharge and 6 months later.

Results On the day before discharge, there was no statistical significance in all indexes between two groups (P ＞ 0.05). After 6 months of follow-up, the levels of BNP, lipid and MLHFQ in the intervention group were lower than those in control group, and the levels of 6-MWT and LVEF were higher than those in control group (P ＜ 0.05 to P ＜ 0.01). The difference of the NYHA classification was statistically significant between two groups (P ＜ 0.05). Within 6 months of follow-up, the differences of number of AHF episodes and readmissions were statistically significant between two groups (P ＜ 0.01 and P ＜ 0.05).

Conclusions The out-of-hospital volume management is expected to improve the cardiac function and quality of life of CHF patients, and reduce the frequency of AHF attacks and readmission.