Journal of cardiac failure
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Comparative Study
Functional electrical stimulation is more effective in severe symptomatic heart failure patients and improves their adherence to rehabilitation programs.
Functional electrical stimulation (FES) improves exercise capacity and quality of life in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. However, there is no evidence regarding the effectiveness of this treatment modality according to the severity of CHF. This study compares the effectiveness of FES on exercise capacity, endothelial function, neurohormonal status, and emotional stress in New York Heart Association (NYHA) III-IV versus NYHA II patients. ⋯ FES might exert a greater beneficial effect on clinical and neurohormonal status of NYHA III-IV patients in comparison to NYHA II patients. This effect may have important clinical relevance leading to increased adherence of severe CHF patients to exercise rehabilitation programs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Long-term outcomes with ambrisentan monotherapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
This study evaluated long-term outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) undergoing treatment with ambrisentan monotherapy, a selective oral endothelin-1 receptor antagonist. ⋯ Ambrisentan monotherapy led to improvements in catheterization, 6MWD, and RV ejection fraction, and shows promise as a long-term treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Baseline plasma NT-proBNP and clinical characteristics: results from the irbesartan in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction trial.
N-terminal B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is usually elevated in heart failure (HF) patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF). Less is known about NT-proBNP in HF with preserved EF (HF-PEF). We measured baseline NT-proBNP in 3562 HF-PEF enrolled patients in the Irbesartan in Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction trial. ⋯ Most HF-PEF patients have elevated NT-proBNP levels. The NT-proBNP concentrations were related to baseline characteristics generally associated with worse outcomes for HF patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Patients' self-assessed functional status in heart failure by New York Heart Association class: a prognostic predictor of hospitalizations, quality of life and death.
Clinician-assigned New York Heart Association (NYHA) class is an established predictor of outcomes in heart failure. This study aims to test whether patients' self-assessment of functional status by NYHA class predicts hospital admissions, quality of life, and mortality. ⋯ SA-NYHA class is predictive of hospitalization, quality of life, and mortality among patients with heart failure.
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Among patients with heart failure, sleep-disordered breathing is a common problem, with a prevalence ranging from 24% to 76%. Encompassed within the general category of sleep-disordered breathing are 2 types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs when the oropharyngeal musculature relaxes, causing a collapse of the upper airway, and central sleep apnea occurs when the brain stem fails to stimulate breathing. ⋯ It is important to distinguish the type of sleep-disordered breathing a patient may have. Further studies are needed to elucidate the effects of CPAP and other therapies.