The NAILED ACS trial - telephone-based long-term follow-up reduces risk factors after 36 months

Abstract Background Cardiovascular secondary preventive strategies need improvement. The proportion of patients reaching guideline recommended treatment targets are low. Purpose We investigated if nurse-led, telephone-based follow-up including medical titration was superior to usual care in controlling blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels 36 months after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods All patients admitted with ACS at the local county hospital between 1st January 2010 and 31st December 2014 were screened for inclusion based on their ability to participate in a telephone-based follow-up. Participants were randomized into two parallel groups, an intervention group and a control group receiving usual care. BP and LDL-C were measured at one month, 12, 24 and 36 months. The intervention group received counseling and medical titration to attain treatment targets of BP (<140/<90 mmHG) and LDL-C (<2.5/<1.8 mmol/L). The primary outcome was LDL-C at 36 months. Results Out of 962 randomized patients, 797 were available for analysis after 36 months. In the intervention group, mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 4.1 mmHg lower (95% CI 1.7 - 6.4, p=0.001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was 2.8 mmHg lower (95% CI 1.4- 4.4, p<0.001) and mean LDL-C was 0.26 mmol/L lower (95% CI 0.12 - 0.4, p<0.001) when compared to the control group. The proportion of patients reaching treatment target goals was also significantly higher in the intervention group. Conclusions After 36 months of follow-up the nurse-led, telephone-based intervention led to significantly lower systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and LDL-C levels when compared to the control group. The intervention group also had a larger proportion of patients reaching target values. Acknowledgement/Funding The study received funding from the research and development unit, Region Jämtland Härjedalen.