Journal of cardiac failure
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Chronic heart failure is a disease syndrome characterized in its advanced stages by a poor quality of life, frequent hospitalizations, and a high risk of mortality. In advanced and ultra-advanced chronic heart failure, many treatment options, such as cardiac transplantation and mechanical devices, are severely limited by availability and cost. Short-term Phase II clinical trials suggest that low-dose oral inotropic therapy with enoximone may improve hemodynamics and exercise capacity, without adversely affecting mortality, in selected subjects with advanced chronic heart failure. Based on these data, the ability of enoximone to deliver safe and efficacious palliative treatment of advanced/ultra-advanced chronic heart failure is being evaluated in Phase III clinical trials. ⋯ These studies are Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials designed to test the general hypothesis that chronic oral administration of low doses of enoximone can produce beneficial effects in subjects with advanced or ultra-advanced chronic heart failure.
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The MERIT-HF trial demonstrated improved survival and fewer hospitalizations for worsening heart failure with extended-release (ER) metoprolol succinate in patients with heart failure. This study sought to estimate the economic implications of this trial from a US perspective. ⋯ This analysis predicts that the positive effect of ER metoprolol succinate on mortality and morbidity demonstrated in MERIT-HF leads to substantial savings.
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The evaluation of heart failure is routinely based on subjective patient symptoms and physician examination. We propose the noninvasive evaluation of microvascular and global perfusion can objectify heart failure severity and provide additional prognostic information. ⋯ Outpatient heart failure patients who later develop adverse outcomes have significantly lower StO2 values than those who remain stable. This suggests cardiac performance in stable heart failure patients may be better reflected at the microvascular level using measures such as StO2 as opposed to a global level using the physical exam or impedance cardiography. StO2 may serve as a predictor for future adverse events and as an adjunct to current evaluation techniques.
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Comparative Study
Plasma natriuretic peptides up to 2 years after acute myocardial infarction and relation to prognosis: an OPTIMAAL substudy.
Few studies have compared the relative prognostic value of different natriuretic peptides after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). None has described peptide levels beyond the early post-AMI period. This study describes temporal profiles of 4 natriuretic peptides to 2 years after AMI and relationship with outcome. ⋯ N-ANP, BNP, N-BNP, and CNP show distinct plasma profiles after AMI. Failure of plasma N-BNP to fall in the 30 days after AMI indicates adverse prognosis.
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Comparative Study
Effects of intravenous nesiritide on pulmonary vascular hemodynamics in pulmonary hypertension.
Nesiritide is effective in the treatment of decompensated heart failure (HF). We evaluated the acute hemodynamic effects of nesiritide, a recombinant B-type natriuretic peptide, in patients with HF and pulmonary hypertension (PH). ⋯ Nesiritide acutely and significantly reduced PA pressure, PVRI, and biventricular filling pressures in patients with postcapillary PH. However, for patients with precapillary PH, nesiritide had no significant acute hemodynamic effect on the pulmonary hemodynamics. The lack of acute beneficial effects of nesiritide in patients with advanced precapillary PH may be related to their relatively fixed remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature.