[Medico-economic impact of an innovative management of CHF by HF unit]. / Analyse médico-économique de l'impact d'une prise en charge de l'insuffisance cardiaque chronique en unité thérapeutique d'insuffisance cardiaque versus prise en charge habituelle de ville.

Chronic heart failure remains a frequent, severe and costly disease. Despite encouraging data from different countries, heart failure clinics are scarce in France. We have analyzed the impact of a heart failure clinic (UTIC of Pontoise) in terms of reduction of rehospitalizations and in hospitalization costs in 4855 consecutive patients. In our study, heart failure clinic management dramatically reduces HF related hospitalizations (RRR: -28 %, P=0.001) and HF related costs (55% reduction, P<0.001) regardless of comorbidities or disease severity. HF clinics have to be developed in France in order to optimize management of CHF and reduce the HF related costs.