Search Tag: heart failure
2019 14 Mar
The paper highlights the present clinical rationale for extravascular lung water measurement as a key to personalisation of haemodynamic therapy. Introduction Extravascular lung water (EVLW) remains a useful guide for monitoring pulmonary oedema (PO) and vascular permeability in sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS),...Read more
2019 20 Feb
According to a new UK study using primary care data from 2000 to 2017, survival after a diagnosis of heart failure has shown only modest improvement in the 21st century and lags behind other serious conditions, such as cancer. New strategies to achieve timely diagnosis and treatment initiation in primary care for all socioeconomic groups should be...Read more
2019 21 Jan
Cutting-edge therapy at a high price Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) have transformed the treatment landscape of heart failure. As the number of implants continues to increase, clinicians will have to integrate dedicated programmes in their clinics and be actively involved in the care of patients on LVAD support. ...Read more
2019 09 Jan
The safety of withdrawing treatment in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy is a question often asked. Patients are keen to know whether they need to continue lifelong treatment or not. This is especially true for patients who are experiencing side-effects. The motivation to discontinue treatment is also more evident among younger patients. In...Read more
2019 09 Jan
According to the World Health Organization, each year approximately 3 to 5 million cases of influenza and nearly 300,000 to 650,000 respiratory deaths worldwide can be attributed to influenza. Vulnerable patients, including elderly patients, pregnant women, and immunocompromised patients are at a greater risk of developing influenza-related complications....Read more
2018 12 Dec
New research published in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation shows that getting an annual flu shot can save the lives of heart failure patients. The annual flu vaccine is a safe and low-cost way to reduce flu-related deaths as well as the complications associated with it. That is why flu shots are recommended for patients...Read more
2018 28 Nov
Heart failure (HF) remains a central topic in cardiology, as outlined in the most recent guidelines. Moreover, recent studies provide important insights that help us gain a better understanding of this disorder. As noted in one study, HF involves the pump function not only of the heart, but also that of the pulmonary, peripheral, and microcirculation. ...Read more
2018 07 Nov
According to a new study in JAMA, the use of an inhaler with inorganic nitrite was not effective in improving exercise capacity in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In this multicentre randomised clinical trial that included 105 patients with HFpEF, researchers found that inhaled inorganic nitrite compared...Read more
2018 08 Aug
Even low levels of air pollution may cause serious changes in the structure of the heart, similar to those seen in the early stages of heart failure, according to new research partly funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in the journal Circulation. Researchers led by Professor Steffen Petersen, Queen Mary University of London,...Read more
2018 01 Aug
Thomas Jefferson University has announced implantation of the first Optimizer® Smart investigational device in a patient enrolled in a new study entitled Impulse Dynamics FIX-HF-5CA Continued Access Study. The device implantation was performed by interventional cardiologist Steven Roberts, MD, at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital’s Heart Center. ...Read more
2018 18 Jul
Substantial progress in the management of heart failure has been made over the past decade. Still, mortality rates from heart failure remain higher for women than men, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The study, which covered a five-year period ((2009 to 2014), also found that rates of hospital...Read more
2018 11 Jul
A higher waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) was associated with a higher risk of death in female but not in male patients with heart failure (HF), according to new research published in the European Journal of Heart Failure. These findings challenge the obesity paradox, and suggest that fat deposition is pathophysiologically harmful and may be a target for...Read more
2018 04 Jul
Heart failure (HF) is almost as common in women as men, but its characteristics vary by sex. Of note, women are largely underrepresented in clinical trials of HF medications, and that evidence of medications’ efficacy in women is limited, according to a review article in the journal ESC Heart Failure. Heart failure presentation differs between...Read more
2018 30 May
Among heart failure patients, feelings of social isolation are associated with increased risk of hospitalisation or death, according to new research published online in Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers say screening heart failure patients for social isolation could help identify those at risk of poor outcomes. In the U.S.,...Read more
2018 22 May
The American Heart Association has released a new scientific advisory reaffirming AHA's recommendation to eat fish – especially those rich in omega-3 fatty acids – twice a week. Eating two 3.5-ounce servings of non-fried fish every week can help reduce the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, cardiac arrest and ischaemic stroke. The advisory...Read more
2018 15 May
Desmin is a protein found in the cell’s “skeleton,” or supporting structure, and is known as intermediate filaments. New Johns Hopkins-led research shows desmin protein clumps appear to accumulate in the diseased hearts of mice and people with heart failure. The mechanism is similar to how protein clumps build up in the brain in people with some...Read more
2018 08 May
Amongst patients with heart failure (HF), exercise therapy is positively associated with lower mortality and higher survival rates, along with a significant reduction in cardiac events and hospitalisations, says a review article in The Journal for Nurse Practitioners. "Exercise therapy is a well-documented, cost-effective, safe intervention for patients...Read more
2018 10 Apr
A new systematic review of pooled data of 196,105 patients with heart failure (HF) has confirmed a phenotype of older women with hypertension rather than ischaemic heart disease as the predominant HF population in general practice. Interestingly, the review found five main approaches to identifying patients with HF in general practice. "The majority...Read more
2018 03 Apr
A recent study by Tsujimoto and Kajio assessed the relationship between abdominal obesity and mortality among patients with heart failure and preserved (≥45%) left ventricular ejection fraction (HFpEF). Results showed that the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly higher in patients with HFpEF with abdominal obesity than in those without abdominal...Read more
2018 02 Apr
Despite multiple examples of glucose-lowering therapies affecting heart failure (HF) risk, ascertainment of HF data in cardiovascular (CV) outcome trials of these medications has not been systematically characterised, according to a review published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. "Even recently completed large CV outcome trials...Read more
2018 14 Mar
One-third of all patients with heart failure (HF) have anaemia, and its presence is associated with more symptoms, increased rates of hospitalisation, and increased mortality. A major factor that leads to anaemia in HF is inadequate erythropoietin production resulting from renal failure. Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have been proven to...Read more
2018 06 Feb
The findings of the eight-year CASTLE-AF clinical trial provide strong data on the safety and efficacy of catheter ablation in treating atrial fibrillation (AF), which can cause heart failure. The trial showed radiofrequency catheter ablation lowered hospitalisation and mortality rates by 47 and 44 percent, respectively, in AF patients. The study,...Read more
2017 14 Nov
While a programme implemented in the U.S. to reduce hospital readmissions was effective in curtailing the rate of readmissions, the same programme was associated with an increase in the rate of death among Medicare patients hospitalised with heart failure. The findings are from a new study published by JAMA Cardiology to coincide with the American...Read more
2017 10 Oct
Researchers at Texas Heart Institute's Cardiomyocyte Renewal Lab have found a new way to help improve heart function following heart failure. Using a mouse model, the researchers were able to reverse severe heart failure by silencing the activity of Hippo, a signalling pathway that can prevent the regeneration of heart muscle. Their work is published...Read more
2017 03 Oct
Researchers in Spain have developed a new tool to better assess risk of mortality from heart failure. The simple tool makes use of readily available data to accurately estimate the 30-day mortality risk for patients admitted to the emergency department with acute heart failure, according to a study published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Emergency...Read more
2017 08 Aug
The WARCEF (Warfarin Versus Aspirin in Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial indicates that, compared to warfarin, aspirin does not increase the risk of hospitalisation for heart failure. The study findings contrast with those of two previous trials that showed an increase in such risk, notes an editorial published in JACC: Heart Failure. The randomised...Read more