Description

Heart Failure (HF) and valvular heart disease (VHD) are disproportionate problems in rural and remote Australia (RRA) relative to the rest of the country, due in part to an ageing rural population and to the frequency of rheumatic heart disease in the Aboriginal community. Late diagnoses can lead to avoidable hospital admissions and expense to the Australian health system. Echocardiography is the imaging investigation of choice, and a cornerstone of management, but access to this essential test shows huge geographic variations in Australia. The primary reason for this is the dependence of this technique on expert acquisition. Artificial intelligence (AI) has now been harnessed to optimise echocardiographic image acquisition, and secure, cloud-based storage enables remote measurement and interpretation. This trial seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of AI-based echocardiography-guided triage and management of patients with known or suspected heart disease in RRA. This study will involve the conduct of a world-first randomised controlled trial of AI-testing and early intervention to detect early stages of HF and VHD, select appropriate management, reduce admissions and preserve functional status and quality of life. The study will be conducted with partipants in RRA, aged 40 years and older with at least one HF risk factor and recruited through clinic and community outreach in four sites with the involvement of remote outreach from i) Alice Springs Hospitals, ii) Nepean Hospital to Dubbo Hospital and Western NSW, iii) Princess Alexandra Hospital to Roma, Charleville and Western Queensland, and iv) Perth Aboriginal communities in partnership with the Royal Perth hospital and the Derbarl Yerrigan Health Service. Approximately 1200 individuals at risk for HF and VHD will be screened and followed up. The study will be conducted in partnership with Aboriginal community partners.