Vasodilators in Acute Heart Failure: Who Needs Them and How Soon?

Dr. W. Frank Peacock from the Baylor Medical College, Houston, TX, moderated the topic “Vasodilators in Acute Heart Failure: Who Needs Them and How Soon?” with Drs. Alexandre Mebazaa from Paris Diderot University, Paris, France; John Teerlink from University of California—San Francisco, San Francisco, CA; and James Udelson from Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA. The discussion focused primarily on: The role of vasodilation in heart failure (HF); the ideal patient population for vasodilators; chronic versus acute HF patients; hemodynamic models of acute HF; clinical studies using vasodilators; the role of blood pressure/hypertension; novel vasodilators; guidelines for using vasodilators; and the use of vasoconstrictors. (Med Roundtable Cardiovasc Ed. 2014;3(4):278–284) ©2014 FoxP2 Media, LLC