Effect of the optimize heart failure care program on clinical and patient outcomes – The pilot implementation in Vietnam

Background: The Ho-Chi-Minh-city Heart Institute in Vietnam took part in the Optimize Heart Failure (OHF) Care Program, designed to improve outcomes following heart failure (HF) hospitalization by increasing patient awareness and optimizing HF treatment. Methods: HF patients hospitalized with left ventricular ejection-fraction (LVEF) <50% were included. Patients received guideline-recommended HF treatment and education. Clinical signs, treatments and outcomes were assessed at admission, discharge, 2 and 6 months (M2, M6). Patients’ knowledge and practice were assessed at M6 by telephone survey. Results: 257 patients were included. Between admission and M2 and M6, heart rate decreased significantly, and clinical symptoms improved significantly. LVEF increased significantly from admission to M6. 85% to 99% of patients received education. At M6, 45% to 78% of patients acquired knowledge and adhered to practice regarding diet, exercise, weight control, and detection of worsening symptoms. High use of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system inhibitors (91%), mineralocorticoid-receptor-antagonists (77%) and diuretics (85%) was noted at discharge. Beta-blocker and ivabradine use was less frequent at discharge but increased significantly at M6 (from 33% to 51% and from 9% to 20%, respectively, p < 0.001). There were no in-hospital deaths. Readmission rates at 30 and 60 days after discharge were 8.3% and 12.5%, respectively. Mortality rates at 30 days, 60 days and 6 months were 1.2%, 2.5% and 6.4%, respectively. Conclusions: The OHF Care Program could be implemented in Vietnam without difficulty and was associated with high usage of guideline-recommended drug therapy. Although education was delivered, patient knowledge and practice could be further improved at M6 after discharge

Power to gas energy storage system for energy self-sufficient smart cities development

The main energy challenge in the smart cities development is the optimization of the energy system to reduce energy cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The low feed-in tariff offered by the electricity retailer is another incentive to trade the energy within the project boundaries or neighbouring precincts using the Blockchain peer to peer energy trading. This study develops an energy system model for the RENeW Nexus project as part of smart city development at stage one in the City of Fremantle for a small community (Lot 1819) comprising 36 townhouses and 50 apartments. The system was developed to simulate the optimal Power to Gas (P2G) system for excess renewable energy storage in combination with shared strata battery towards an energy self-sufficiency system. The rooftop area of the townhouses in the developed precinct has been used to generate excess renewable energy from solar photovoltaic (PV) to compensate for less area available on the rooftops of the multi-story apartment's buildings in the presence of a large-scale centralised strata battery. The peer to peer energy trading takes place using Blockchain technology to achieve the energy self-sufficiency goal. The study also identifies the techno-economic viability of P2G system over the large-scale energy storage systems. The model simulation demonstrated that the initial cost of the P2G system is comparably less than the current conventional battery systems