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    Heart failure is a clinical syndrome associated with poor quality of life, substantial healthcare resource utilization, and premature mortality, in large part related to high rates of hospitalizations. The clinical manifestations of heart failure are similar regardless of the ejection fraction. Unlike heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, there are few therapeutic options for treating heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Molecular therapies that have shown reduced mortality and morbidity in heart failure with reduced ejection have not been proven to be effective for patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction. The study of pathophysiological processes involved in the production of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is the basis for identifying new therapeutic means. In this narrative review, we intend to synthesize the existing therapeutic means, but also those under research (metabolic and microRNA therapy) for the treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
    Citations (4)
    To assess the usefulness of a step by step evaluation of exercise left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), 219 consecutive patients with recent uncomplicated myocardial infarction and 30 normal subjects underwent a symptom-limited cycloergometer test followed by exercise radionuclide ventriculography (ExRNV). LVEF was monitored throughout the whole test. 49 patients underwent coronary arteriography for clinical reasons. 5 patterns of exercise LVEF could be observed: progressive increase: 55 patients (25%) and 27 normal subjects (90%); progressive decrease: 37 patients (17%); initial increase followed by significant decrease: 54 patients (25%); lack of initial modification and terminal decrease: 35 patients (16%); no modification: 38 patients (17%) and 3 normal subjects (10%). Grouping the patients in this fashion allowed us to increase the specificity of ExRNV from 70% to 100%, without loss of sensitivity (95%). As for the patients in subgroup C, 32/54 showed unequivocal ECG ischaemic changes, occurring simultaneously with LVEF decrease; in 33/54 LVEF dropped during the last workload; in 25/54 the last stage LVEF was equal to or higher than the basal LVEF. The statistical analysis showed that ischaemic ECG changes (P less than 0.0001), exercise-induced wall-motion abnormalities (P less than 0.0001), and the presence of multivessel coronary artery disease (P less than 0.0001) were significantly more frequent in patients showing patterns (b)-(d), which should be considered as ischaemic. Our method allowed the unequivocal identification of ischaemic patterns in LVEF during exercise, which might be missed if only its basal and final values are considered.
    Basal (medicine)
    To study the characteristics and prognostic implications of type 2 diabetes in different heart failure entities from a nationwide perspective.This observational study comprised 30,696 heart failure patients prospectively included in the Swedish Heart Failure Registry (SwedeHF) 2003-2011 from specialist care, with mortality information available until December 2014. Patients were categorized into three heart failure entities by their left ventricular ejection fraction (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: ⩾50%, heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction: 40%-49% and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: <40%). All-cause mortality stratified by type 2 diabetes and heart failure entity was studied by Cox regression.Among the patients, 22% had heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, 21% had heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction and 57% had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The proportion of type 2 diabetes was similar, ≈25% in each heart failure entity. Patients with type 2 diabetes and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction were older, more often female and burdened with hypertension and renal impairment compared with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients among whom ischaemic heart disease was more common. Type 2 diabetes remained an independent mortality predictor across all heart failure entities after multivariable adjustment, somewhat stronger in heart failure with left ventricular ejection fraction below 50% (hazard ratio, 95% confidence interval; heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: 1.32 [1.22-1.43], heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction: 1.51 [1.39-1.65], heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: 1.46 [1.39-1.54]; p-value for interaction, p = 0.0049).Type 2 diabetes is an independent mortality predictor across all heart failure entities increasing mortality risk by 30%-50%. In type 2 diabetes, the heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction entity resembles heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in clinical characteristics, risk factor pattern and prognosis.
    Citations (47)
    Elderly patients are underrepresented in clinical trials but comprise the majority of heart failure patients. Data on age-specific use of heart failure therapy are limited. The European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines provide no age-specific treatment recommendations. We investigated practice-based heart failure management in a large registry at heart failure outpatient clinics.We studied 8351 heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients at 34 Dutch outpatient clinics between 2013 and 2016. The mean age was 72.3 ± 11.8 years and we divided age into three categories: less than 60 years (13.9%); 60-74 years (36.0%); and 75 years and over (50.2%).Elderly heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients (≥75 years) received significantly fewer beta-blockers (77.8% vs. 84.2%), renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (75.2% vs. 89.7%), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (50.6% vs. 59.6%) and ivabradine (2.9% vs. 9.3%), but significantly more diuretics (88.1% vs. 72.6%) compared to patients aged less than 60 years (Pfor all trends < 0.01). Moreover, the prescribed target dosages were significantly lower in elderly patients. Also, implantable cardioverter defibrillator (18.9% vs. 44.1%) and cardiac resynchronisation therapy device (14.6% vs. 16.7%) implantation rates were significantly lower in elderly patients. A similar trend in drug prescription was observed in patients with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction as in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.With increasing age, heart failure with reduced ejection fraction patients less often received guideline-recommended medication prescriptions and also in a lower dosage. In addition, a lower percentage of implantable cardioverter defibrillator and cardiac resynchronisation therapy device implantation in elderly patients was observed.
    Ivabradine
    Guideline
    Citations (41)
    Introduction: Cardiac rehabilitation has been increasingly recognized as an integral part in the management of patients with congestive heart failure. It has been shown to improve the quality of life in this patient population. However, It is unknown how much cardiac rehabilitation reduces heart failure hospitalizations in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) versus heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Hypothesis: We hypothesize that outpatient cardiac rehabilitation is associated with reduced re-hospitalization for heart failure symptoms in patients with heart failure with HFrEF when compared with patients with HFpEF. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 128 heart failure patients enrolled in an outpatient cardiac rehabilitation center from January 2015 to December 2020. The number of heart failure re-hospitalizations was measured in each of these patients. A Student t-test was used to analyze the difference between the two groups, while fisher’s test or chi square was used to analyze categorical variables. Results: Among the 128 patients enrolled in the outpatient cardiac rehabilitation center, age 68.1+-14 years, 63 (57.1%) were males. There were 70 patients (54.6%) in the HFrEF group and 58 (55.28%) in the HFpEF group. Hospitalization for acute exacerbation of heart failure symptoms was lower in the patients with HFrEF when compared with patients with HFpEF (41.3% vs 70.69% p value <0.0009). Conclusion: Outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program is associated with reduced hospitalization for heart failure symptoms in patients with HFrEF when compared to patients with HFpEF.
    ABSTRACT: Left ventricular ejection fraction was measured by gated wall motion in 62 patients, 75 years old or older, admitted to a Geriatric Acute Assessment Ward. From this group, 42 patients not taking digitalis or other cardioactive medication were selected for analysis. Thirty of them had clinically identifiable heart disease, whereas 12 did not. Resting left ventricular ejection fractions in the 12 patients without clinically identifiable heart disease averaged 0.60 ± 0.09. None had an ejection fraction below 0.50. In the 30 patients with clinically identifiable heart disease, mean ejection fraction was 0.49 ± 0.15 (range 0.17‐0.84), P < 0.01. In the patients with heart disease, reduction of ejection fraction was correlated with either cardiac enlargement or congestive heart failure. Neither age nor electrocardiographic abnormalities added to the strength of this correlation. Fifty‐eight per cent of patients with congestive heart failure had ejection fractions 3=0.40, suggesting that congestive heart failure in this age group is frequently related to diastolic left ventricular dysfunction unaccompanied by major systolic dysfunction. The prognosis of patients with congestive heart failure and ejection fractions above 0.35 was significantly better than of patients with congestive heart failure and ejection fractions below 0.35. From these data and other data available in the literature, it is proposed that the lower limit for ejection fraction be 0.50 for patients 75 years old or older. Congestive heart failure in patients 75 years old or older appears to be associated with relatively higher ejection fractions or even with ejection fractions within the normal range. In these patients, digitalis may not be indicated, and short term‐prognosis is relatively favorable.
    Hypertensive heart disease
    Last two decade, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was deprived from being considered as a part of spectrum of heart failure. May be heart failure with preserved ejection fraction was common but not recognized by cardiology fraternity. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction each make up about half of the overall heart failure burden. But the paradox is: morbidity and mortality in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction despite being similar to patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, today’s cardiology community has not much to offer in terms of mortality reducing treatment. The term diastolic heart failure has been well replaced by heart failure with preserved ejection fraction because multiple non-diastolic abnormalities in cardiovascular function also contribute to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and diastolic dysfunction always accompanied heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is an uphill task since it relies upon careful clinical evaluation, doppler (pulse wave and tissue) echocardiography, and invasive hemodynamic assessment after exclusion of potential noncardiac causes of symptoms suggestive of heart failure. Patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction are usually older women with a history of hypertension. Obesity, coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, and atrial fibrillation are also highly prevalent in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Cornerstone of treatment of this entity revolves around treatment of underlying cause and symptom guided therapy. Nepalese Heart Journal | Volume 10 | No.1 | November 2013| Pages 46-56 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/njh.v10i1.9747
    Diastolic heart failure
    Citations (0)
    • Chronic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction is as common as chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.• After hospitalization for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, prognosis and rehospitalization rates are comparable to heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.• Systolic function of the cardiac muscle is impaired in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.• According to a recent consensus statement of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology, the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction remains challenging, but the use of serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) has increased accuracy.• Treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction should be empiric, and phenotype-oriented as well as symptom-oriented.
    Brain natriuretic peptide