Telemedicine in Chronic Cardiopulmonary and Cardiovascular Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), interstitial lung disease (ILD), and hypertension (HTN) are major contributors to global morbidity, disability, and healthcare burden. These conditions are associated with persistent symptoms, impaired quality of life, high hospitalization rates, and increased mortality. Despite guideline recommendations, access to integrated palliative care and rehabilitation remains limited, while conventional disease management often overlooks psychosocial and functional needs. Advances in telemedicine and mobile health (mHealth) offer potential to bridge these gaps. The advancing symptom alleviation with palliative treatment (ADAPT) randomized clinical trial evaluated a nurse-social worker telecare team in Veterans Health Administration systems, showing significant improvements in quality of life, depression, and anxiety among patients with COPD, HF, or ILD, though hospitalization and mortality were unaffected. A Norwegian trial of telerehabilitation in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) demonstrated high adherence, safety, and satisfaction with remote high-intensity interval training, as well as improved functional outcomes compared to declines in controls. In Singapore, qualitative interviews revealed that blood pressure (BP) telemonitoring enhanced convenience, discipline, and self-management, though usability challenges and technology anxiety persisted. In China, the intelligent hypertension excellence centers (iHEC) randomized trial reported greater reductions in systolic blood pressure (SBP), improved control rates, and fewer excessive reductions among older adults, with strong engagement in remote consultations and monitoring. These findings emphasize the effectiveness and feasibility of patient-centered, technology-enabled care models. While mortality outcomes remain unchanged, improvements in quality of life, functional capacity, and blood pressure control highlight the potential of scalable interventions to transform chronic disease management.