In-Hospital Initiation of Guideline-Directed Heart Failure Pharmacotherapy to Improve Long-Term Patient Adherence and Outcomes

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 16-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy M. Albert ◽  
Marc J. Kozinn

Heart failure is a burdensome cardiovascular condition associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. The 3-month period after hospitalization is a vulnerable phase in which patients are at high risk for mortality and rehospitalization. To reduce risk during this period, patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction should receive guideline-directed pharmacological therapies—the right drugs at the right doses—before hospital discharge. Optimal pharmacotherapies for these patients include agents that suppress the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, suppress the sympathetic nervous system, enhance vasodilation, slow heart rate when needed, and reduce excess volume. Because optimal prescription and adherence are both necessary to ensure the best clinical outcomes, nurses need to participate in interventions that optimize prescription and drug use over time. Collaboration with pharmacists and advanced practice acute care nurses may help ensure that medication selection and dosing are consistent with national guidelines. Use of a predischarge order set and electronic medical records checklist can enhance collaborative care.

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
H J Kim ◽  
M A Kim ◽  
D I Lee ◽  
H L Kim ◽  
D J Choi ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a major underlying etiology in patients with heart failure (HF). Although the impact of IHD on HF is evolving, there is a lack of understanding of how IHD affects long-term clinical outcomes and uncertainty about the role of IHD in determining the risk of clinical outcomes by gender. Purpose This study aims to evaluate the gender difference in impact of IHD on long-term clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods Study data were obtained from the nationwide registry which is a prospective multicenter cohort and included patients who were hospitalized for HF composed of 3,200 patients. A total of 1,638 patients with HFrEF were classified into gender (women 704 and men 934). The primary outcome was all-cause death during follow-up and the composite clinical events of all-cause death and HF readmission during follow-up were also obtained. HF readmission was defined as re-hospitalization because of HF exacerbation. Results 133 women (18.9%) were died and 168 men (18.0%) were died during follow-up (median 489 days; inter-quartile range, 162–947 days). As underlying cause of HF, IHD did not show significant difference between genders. Women with HFrEF combined with IHD had significantly lower cumulative survival rate than women without IHD at long-term follow-up (74.8% vs. 84.9%, Log Rank p=0.001, Figure 1). However, men with HFrEF combined with IHD had no significant difference in survival rate compared with men without IHD (79.3% vs. 83.8%, Log Rank p=0.067). After adjustment for confounding factors, Cox regression analysis showed that IHD had a 1.43-fold increased risk for all-cause mortality independently only in women. (odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.058–1.929, p=0.020). On the contrary to the death-free survival rates, there were significant differences in composite clinical events-free survival rates between patients with HFrEF combined with IHD and HFrEF without IHD in both genders. Figure 1 Conclusions IHD as predisposing cause of HF was an important risk factor for long-term mortality in women with HFrEF. Clinician need to aware of gender-based characteristics in patients with HF and should manage and monitor them appropriately and gender-specifically. Women with HF caused by IHD also should be treated more meticulously to avoid a poor prognosis. Acknowledgement/Funding None


Author(s):  
Philipp E Bartko ◽  
Henrike Arfsten ◽  
Gregor Heitzinger ◽  
Noemi Pavo ◽  
Georg Spinka ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims Recent progress in the diagnosis of functional valve regurgitation forms a coherent perception of severity thresholds by quantitative assessment. However, thresholds focused on either valve in isolation—not accounting for the global haemodynamic burden arising from concomitant functional regurgitation of the mitral and tricuspid valves. We sought to determine whether the global regurgitant volume is associated with adverse cardiac remodelling and mortality. Methods and results This long-term observational study included 414 patients on guideline-directed medical therapy. Baseline global regurgitant load defined as the sum of mitral and tricuspid regurgitant volume was assessed by the proximal flow convergence method. All-cause mortality during 5 years follow-up served as the primary endpoint. The median global regurgitant load was 30 mL (interquartile range 15–49) with 67% accounting for mitral and 33% accounting for tricuspid regurgitant volume. The global regurgitant load had significant impact on outcome with a crude hazard ratio of 1.46 (1.28–1.66; P < 0.001) for a 1-SD increase in global regurgitant volume, results that remained virtually unchanged after bootstrap or clinical confounder-based adjustment (P < 0.001 for adjusted models). Spline curve analysis showed a linearly increasing risk with a threshold of 50 mL and sustained increasing risk thereafter. Conclusions The present study demonstrates the detrimental effect of the global regurgitant load in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The threshold where heart failure is driven by the valve lesions is a global regurgitant volume of 50 mL with continuously increasing risk beyond that threshold. Future studies need to address whether an attempt to reduce the global regurgitant volume can improve outcome.


Kardiologiia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (8S) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
N. Z. Gasimova ◽  
E. N. Mikhaylov ◽  
V. S. Orshanskaya ◽  
A. V. Kamenev ◽  
R. B. Tatarsky ◽  
...  

Aim. To evaluate the effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) catheter ablation (CA) on long-term freedom from AF and left heart reverse remodeling in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).Methods. There were 47 patients (mean age 53.3 ± 10 years, 39 males) enrolled into single-center observational study, with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40 %. Patients underwent CA for AF refractory to antiarrhythmic drugs. Baseline clinical data and diagnostic tests results were obtained during personal visits and / or via secure telemedical services. Personal contact with evaluation of recurrence of AF and echocardiographic values was performed with 30 (64 %) patients.Results. Paroxysmal AF was present in 12 (40 %) patients, persistent – in 18 (60 %). During mean follow-up of 3 years (0.5–6 years) redo ablation was performed in 9 patients (30 %) with average number of 1.3 procedures per patient. At 6 months 24 (80 %) patients were free from AF, at last follow-up – 16 (53 %). The mean time to first recurrence following CA was 15.6±13.3 months. Follow-up echocardiography revealed significant LVEF improvement (р<0,0001), reduction of left atrium size (р<0,0001), left ventricle end-diastolic volume (р<0,002) and left ventricle endsystolic volume (p<0,0001) and mitral regurgitation (р=0,001).Conclusion. AF CA in patients with HFrEF is associated with improvement in systolic function and left heart reverse remodeling. Durable long-term antiarrhythmic effect often requires repeated procedures.


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