SAATHI-HF
SAATHI-HF
A Structured Multicomponent Program for Assisted Home-based Post-Discharge cAre using digital health Technologies and Guideline-Directed Medical THerapy In Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction
Effective home management after discharge is essential for improving outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The “Circle of Home Management of Heart Failure” involves early detection of worsening symptoms through physiological monitoring, timely data transmission, expert clinical interpretation, appropriate treatment action, and prompt reassessment. However, home-based HF care remains difficult because of poor adherence, reliance on invasive testing, and limited healthcare workforce capacity.
The SAATHI-HF trial is a randomized clinical study designed to test an integrated homebased digital healthcare package for patients with HFrEF after hospital discharge.
The intervention combines biomarker-guided guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), non-invasive AI-based prediction of NT-proBNP spikes through a wearable device, assisted home-based telemedicine consultations, and an AI-enabled clinical decision support system.
Team Details (PI, Co-PIs, Secretariat)
Prof. Dorairaj Prabhakaran (Chair)
Executive Director, Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC)
Dr. Arun P Jose (Principal Investigator)
Deputy Director & Head - BRIDGE Centre for Digital Health
Dr Anshika Sharma
Lead - Strategy, BRIDGE Centre for Digital Health
Dr Priya Kataria
Program Manager, BRIDGE Centre for Digital Health
Ms Ameeka Shereen Lobo
Research officer, Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC)
Ms. Mahima Badhan
Program Associate, BRIDGE Centre for Digital Health
Dr Shashank Atrey
Research Coordinator, BRIDGE Centre for Digital Health
Mr. Himanshu
Senior Technical Assistant, BRIDGE Centre for Digital Health
Study Details
Implemented at 10 centres across India
The digital care package has three core components:
DigiSetu (Assisted Home Telemedicine) :
A trained healthcare worker visits the patient at home, records history, conducts physical examination and facilitated teleconsultation with consulting cardiologist .
CardioID (AI-Powered Wearable Monitoring)
a smartwatch that continuously tracks various heart and activity parameter which helps in detection of early warning signs of worsening heart failure, alerting the healthcare team to act before a crisis occurs.
eCDSS (Clinical Decision Support System)
An guideline based electronic decision support system for GDMT optimisation for patients.
Trial Sites (10 hospitals across India)
Site Principal Investigator
| Dr. Ambuj Roy | All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi |
| Dr. Bhupinder Singh | All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bathinda |
| Dr Raghavendra Rao | All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Nagpur |
| Dr. Sadananda | Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Mysuru |
| Dr K H Srinivas | Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, Bangalore |
| Dr Anunay Gupta | VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi |
| Dr Girish M P | Govind Ballabh Pant Hospital, New Delhi |
| Dr. Sunil Kumar | JSS Hospital, Mysuru |
| Dr Mukund Prabhu P | Kasturba Medical College, Manipal |
| Dr P Shunmuga Sundaram | Vellamal Hospital, Madurai |
Potential Impact
If proven effective, SAATHI-HF will deliver India’s first validated, scalable digital home-care model for heart failure — one that can be adopted by hospitals nationwide. The trial aims to reduce deaths and emergency readmissions and improve patients’ quality of life, mental health, and medication adherence. Findings will directly inform national policy on heart failure management and digital health scale-up.