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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP (N-BNP) are highly sensitive markers of ventricular dysfunction and/or hypertrophy and, in established disease, offer prognostic value and may be useful for guidance of therapy. Ng and co-workers report in this issue of Clinical Science that urinary levels of N-BNP may be as useful as plasma levels for the discrimination of patients with and without heart failure. This raises the potential for a relatively simple urine test that could be used for the diagnosis of heart failure. Roles in prognostication and the guidance of therapy may also be possible but, perhaps of most significance, measurement of urinary N-BNP may be applied to screening of patients at high risk of heart failure. The main limitations of the study were that the sample of heart failure patients comprised only 34 individuals with New York Heart Association functional Class IV and that the observed correlation between levels of urinary N-BNP and plasma creatinine seemed counter-intuitive. The latter issue needs clarification, as renal impairment is a frequent co-morbidity among patients with heart failure and will potentially confound any observed association between ventricular dysfunction and urinary N-BNP levels. Another caveat is that it is unclear if testing for urinary N-BNP can be cheaply and conveniently administered on a large scale. Nevertheless, this first demonstration of elevated N-BNP in the urine of patients with heart failure raises a number of exciting possibilities with regard to the management of patients with established or possible heart failure. Further investigation is required and eagerly awaited.
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PMID:A feeling in the waters: diagnosis of heart failure using urinary natriuretic peptides. 1367 15

Valsartan, an orally active nonpeptide angiotensin II (AII) receptor antagonist with selectivity for the AII type I (AT(1)) receptor subtype, has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with heart failure (New York Health Association class II-IV) who are intolerant of ACE-inhibitor therapy. Results from the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT) showed that in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) [n = 5010], valsartan 160 mg twice daily, when used in combination with conventional therapy for heart failure, reduced the risk of the combined endpoint of mortality and morbidity by 13.2% compared with placebo. However, there was no significant difference in overall mortality between the valsartan and placebo groups. Morbidity was defined as cardiac arrest with resuscitation, hospitalization for heart failure, or administration of intravenous inotropic or vasodilator drugs for > or =4 hours without hospitalization. Among patients not receiving an ACE inhibitor, irrespective of concomitant beta-blocker use, valsartan reduced the risk of mortality and the combined endpoint by 33.1% and 44% compared with placebo; total hospitalizations for heart failure were also significantly lower in the valsartan group (27.6 vs 64.6%). In the subgroup of patients who were taking an ACE inhibitor and a beta-blocker at baseline (n = 1610), mortality was significantly higher in the valsartan group than in the placebo group. The most common adverse events in the valsartan and placebo groups which led to discontinuation of treatment were dizziness, renal impairment (both of which occurred in significantly more valsartan recipients) and hypotension.
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PMID:Valsartan: in chronic heart failure. 1472 72

Despite advanced techniques of renal replacement therapy as well as improved medical care and control over the last decade, the overall mortality of patients with "internal" nontraumatic acute renal failure (ARF) requiring replacement therapy is still high. In a retrospective study we compared causes of nontraumatic ARF, risk factors for the development of renal failure and mortality rates in patients with nontraumatic ARF, who received hemodialysis therapy from 1981 to 1990 and from 1991 to 2000. 510 patients with nontraumatic ANV requiring hemodialysis were evaluated, 278 patients in 1981-1990 and 232 patients in 1991-2000. In both groups the chronic risk factors for ANV such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic cardiac failure, chronic hepatic failure and pre-existing renal impairment and the causes of a traumatic ARF were compared. In addition, concomitant sepsis and multi-organ failure as prognostic parameters as well as mortality rates dependent on the causes of ARF were evaluated. In the latter period, there was a significant reduction in the prevalence of acute glomerulonephritis (3.0 versus 8.3%, p < 0.05) and acute interstitial nephritis (2.6 versus 7.6%, p < 0.05) as well as acute pancreatitis (1.7 versus 7.6%, p < 0.01) as causes of ARF. On the other hand, the prevalence of drug-induced ARF increased during the latter period (10.8 versus 4.7%, p < 0.05). Other etiologies of nontraumatic ARF did not significantly differ between the two decades. Patients treated from 1991 to 2000 had chronic risk factors for the development of ARF, namely diabetes (14.6 versus 6.8%), coronary artery disease (28.0 versus 9.3%) and pre-existing renal impairment (51.7 versus 17.6%, p < 0.001), more frequently than did patients dialysed from 1981-1990. The prevalence of sepsis and multi-organ failure was approximately the same in both periods. The overall mortality (41.8 versus 44.6%, NS) and mortality secondary to causes of nontraumatic ARF were similar in both periods. In summary: the prevalence of several causes of nontraumatic ARF has changed during the last decades. Furthermore, patients treated in the 90's had chronic risk factors for renal failure, namely diabetes and pre-existing renal impairment as well as coronary artery disease, more frequently than did subjects treated in the preceding time period. The prognosis of the patients has not been significantly improved.
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PMID:[Etiology and prognosis of "internal medicine" acute renal failure in 1981-1990 and 1991-2000--an analysis of 510 cases in a single center]. 1473 67

Low dose spironolactone reduces the risk of death from heart failure. We examined the effects of spironolactone on potassium homeostasis in a cohort of elderly patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Eighteen patients >70 years, mean 80.5 (+/- SD 6.3) with New York Heart Association CHF Grade II-IV were enrolled. All patients were commenced on 25 mg spironolactone daily. The dose was reduced to 12.5 mg daily when hyperkalemia (potassium>5.0) occurred. A serum creatinine of >150 micromol/l was defined as indicating renal impairment (RI). Blood pressure, pulse rate, urea, creatinine, Na+ and K+ were measured at baseline, day 2-5, day 28 and more often if clinically indicated. Nine of those recruited had RI. Baseline serum potassium was significantly higher in those with RI, mean 4.56 (+/- 0.30) vs. 4.04 (+/- 0.30) mmol/l (P<0.01). Six patients with RI developed hyperkalemia versus one of those with serum creatinine <150 micromol/l (P<0.05). Serum K+ returned to normal in all patients when the dose of spironolactone was reduced to 12.5 mg daily with one exception in whom the medication was withdrawn. When spironolactone is prescribed to older patients with CHF, hyperkalemia appears more likely in those with RI. Halving the dose to 12.5 mg daily results in normalisation of serum potassium. Older patients commencing spironolactone therapy should have serum potassium monitored frequently, particularly in the presence of RI.
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PMID:Spironolactone therapy in older patients--the impact of renal dysfunction. 1476 43

Many studies have shown that the B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP and NT-proBNP) are proven diagnostic markers for heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The manner in which they are to be used is still being unravelled; most single centre studies have chosen the best concentration of the peptide on ROC analysis as their cut-point resulting in numerous different values for both BNP and NT-proBNP appearing in the literature. We report a different approach of defining an age and sex corrected abnormal concentration for NT-proBNP, derived from normal individuals within a large sample of 3051 subjects pooled from three European epidemiology studies and applying that to the entire population to detect HF and LVD. Three thousand and fifty one subjects were studied. Of these 10% (305) had significant LVD and 3.1% (94) had HF. The median concentrations of NT-proBNP (IQR) in normals, those with LVD and in heart failure subjects were 20 pg/ml (10.30), 117.3 pg/ml (28.145) and 269.6 pg/ml (54.323), P<0.001, respectively. The area under the ROC curve for NT-proBNP for the detection of 'heart failure' was 0.85 and 0.69 for LVD. NT-proBNP was an independent predictor of the presence of HF on multivariate analysis. An abnormal NT-proBNP was defined as being >95th centile for normals, age and sex corrected, and diagnosed HF with a sensitivity of 75% and a negative predictive value of 99%. In an additional analysis in a breathless subgroup of our population, in 30% a raised NT-proBNP concentration could be explained by HF due to LVD, in another 64% the high BNP level was associated with some other structural of functional cardiac abnormality or renal impairment. We were unable to assign a possible cause to the high NT-proBNP values in 5.9% of this breathless subgroup of the population. An abnormal NT-proBNP concentration is an accurate diagnostic test both for the exclusion of HF in the population and in ruling out LVD in breathless subjects. An elevated NT-proBNP merely indicates the presence of 'cardio-renal distress' and should prompt referral for further investigation.
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PMID:NT-proBNP and the diagnosis of heart failure: a pooled analysis of three European epidemiological studies. 1498 75

In 1994, we reported a cross-sectional survey of acute heart failure admissions to a city centre hospital serving a multiethnic population and found ethnic differences in aetiological factors and short-term (in-patient) mortality. We analysed long-term mortality data for this original survey cohort after 8 years' follow-up. At 8 years' follow-up, the total mortality was 90.5% amongst Europeans and 87.0% amongst non-Europeans (log rank test, P=0.0705). The non-European patients had significantly better survival at all time points until 6 years, after which the survival curves start to converge. In univariate analysis, age <75.6 years (that is, the median age of the whole cohort), use of beta-blockers, use of ACE inhibitors, and absence of atrial fibrillation were significantly associated with increased survival. In addition, patients who had had an echocardiographic examination had significantly prolonged survival when compared to those who did not. Using a Cox multiple regression analysis, age, renal impairment, atrial fibrillation, absence of echocardiography, absence of beta-blockers or ACE inhibitor use (and not ethnicity) remained significant predictors of mortality at 8 years. While this follow-up study has suggested that survival following admission for acutely decompensated heart failure is not different between different ethnic groups when corrected for age, it is clear from the younger age of heart failure patients from ethnic minority groups and the relatively high prevalence, that the burden of heart failure is greater in these populations. Future observational and therapeutic trials in heart failure should include sufficient numbers of participants from ethnic minority groups to ensure that the results can be applied to the population at risk.
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PMID:An 8-year follow-up study of acute admissions with heart failure in a multiethnic population. 1530 17

The INternational VErapamil SR-Trandolapril study (INVEST) had 6400 of 22,576 (28.3%) participants with diabetes at entry. The objectives of this prespecified analysis were to compare antihypertensive treatment strategies in the diabetes cohort (verapamil SR-based [n=3169] versus atenolol-based [n=3231]) and identify predictors for the primary outcome (a composite of first occurrence of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke). During a mean follow-up of 2.7 years, 913 participants with diabetes experienced a primary outcome event, with no significant difference between treatment strategies (14.6%, verapamil SR versus 13.9%; atenolol hazard ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.92 to 1.19). Risk for the primary outcome increased with presence of baseline heart failure, renal impairment, US residency, age, previous stroke/transient ischemic attack, previous myocardial infarction, peripheral vascular disease, or smoking. High systolic and diastolic pressures during follow-up also were associated with increased risk, as were low diastolic pressures. Antihypertensive treatment with a verapamil SR or atenolol strategy resulted in similar rates of cardiovascular outcomes in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with diabetes. Thus, a verapamil SR-based antihypertensive treatment strategy is an alternative to a beta-blocker-based strategy in adults with CAD and diabetes.
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PMID:Clinical outcomes in the diabetes cohort of the INternational VErapamil SR-Trandolapril study. 1536 99

Despite diuretics being used to relieve the fluid retention/congestion associated with heart failure (HF), patients with HF are commonly hospitalised due to progressive volume retention with an increase in body weight and the deterioration of symptoms. Arginine vasopressin acts at vasopressin V2 receptors in the kidney as an antidiuretic. Tolvaptan is an orally-active selective V2-receptor antagonist. In the Acute and Chronic Therapeutic Impact of a Vasopressin antagonist in Congestive Heart Failure trial of patients hospitalised with HF, tolvaptan 30 mg/day increased urine volume and induced a weight loss of 3.3 kg at discharge (placebo; 1.9 kg). In post hoc analyses, mortality was lower with tolvaptan in patients with renal impairment and severe congestion, compared to placebo. Thus, it seems that tolvaptan is an advancement in the treatment of severely decompensated HF.
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PMID:Is vasopressin-receptor antagonism an advancement in the treatment of heart failure? 1511 14

Candesartan cilexetil is the prodrug of candesartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist. Candesartan binds selectively and non-competitively to the angiotensin II receptor type 1, thus preventing the actions of angiotensin II. Clinical trials have demonstrated its efficacy at a dose range of 2 to 32 mg once daily in hypertension of all grades, heart failure, in reducing urinary albumin excretion in diabetes mellitus and in coexisting hypertension and renal failure. Pharmacokinetic properties of candesartan cilexetil in elderly patients are not significantly different from those in younger individuals. Hepatic impairment does not change pharmacokinetics of candesartan cilexetil at doses up to 12 mg/day. No dose adjustment is necessary in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment. Tolerability of candesartan cilexetil is not much different from that of placebo. All adverse events are usually of mild to moderate severity and not dose-related. The most common adverse events were headache, upper respiratory tract infection, back pain, and dizziness. The incidence of these adverse effects, as well as of cough, was similar in patients treated with candesartan cilexetil or placebo. The incidence of adverse events in long-term trials was not different from that in short-term trials. Tolerability of candesartan cilexetil does not differ with either age or gender.
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PMID:Candesartan. 1559 74

BACKGROUND: Although several randomized, control trials (RTC) suggest that oral anticoagulation (OAC) benefits patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), this might not be true for hospitalized patients with co-morbid conditions. If the results of the RTCs are valid, then how many patients in AF admitted to an acute medical unit will benefit from OAC? METHODS: An RCT-based decision analysis model calculated the quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) gain from OAC for 141 unselected consecutive patients over 65 years of age with AF admitted to an acute medical unit. RESULTS: If treated with aspirin, all 141 patients were predicted to gain QALE compared with placebo. If the quality of life adjustment (QoLA) on OAC was the same as placebo, then 104 patients were predicted to benefit from OAC compared with aspirin, while 63 patients were predicted to benefit at a QoLA of 0.99 (overall benefit 0.13+/-0.15 QALYs, range 0.01-0.88 QALYs). These 63 patients were more likely to have had a stroke, diabetes, hypertension, heart failure or heart attack, and less likely to have impaired renal function than those predicted not to benefit. The 78 patients predicted not to benefit from OAC included 11 younger patients without heart failure, hypertension, diabetes or cerebrovascular disease; the remaining 67 patients, however, were older, more likely to have heart failure and/or renal impairment and were at high risk of both stroke and bleeding. CONCLUSION: An RCT-based decision analysis model suggests that more than half the patients in AF admitted to a small rural hospital with acute medical conditions are unlikely to benefit from OAC, while all will benefit from aspirin.
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PMID:How many patients in atrial fibrillation admitted to an acute medical unit will benefit from oral anticoagulation? Application of the results of the major randomized controlled trials to 141 consecutive, unselected, elderly patients using a decision support computer program. 1583 75


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