Heart failure reviews
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Heart failure reviews · Sep 2009
ReviewTreatment of sleep disordered breathing in congestive heart failure.
In patients with congestive heart failure, sleep disordered breathing occurs commonly and is associated with an increased mortality. In addition to central sleep apnea (Cheyne-Stokes respiration), obstructive sleep apnea is more prevalent in patients with congestive heart failure than in the general population. ⋯ Newer forms of positive pressure ventilation, such as adaptive servo-ventilation, appear to be even more effective at correcting central sleep apnea. Whether any of these treatments have an effect on transplant-free survival is presently unknown and awaits further study.
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Heart failure reviews · Sep 2009
ReviewObstructive sleep apnea: the new cardiovascular disease. Part I: Obstructive sleep apnea and the pathogenesis of vascular disease.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly recognized as a novel cardiovascular risk factor. OSA is implicated in the pathogenesis of hypertension, left ventricular dysfunction, coronary artery disease and stroke. ⋯ Endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation are all consequences of OSA directly linked to intermittent hypoxia and critical pathways in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease in patients with OSA. This review will discuss the known mechanisms of vascular dysfunction in patients with OSA and their implications for cardiovascular disease.
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Heart failure reviews · Jun 2009
ReviewMechanical circulatory support devices for acute heart failure syndromes: considerations for clinical trial design.
Mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are a guideline-recommended treatment option for a small subset of advanced heart failure patients. MCS has the potential to become more prominent in the management of Acute Heart Failure Syndromes (AHFS) as device technology advances and as clinical trials consistently discover neutral or harmful effects with pharmacologic therapies hypothesized to be beneficial in this population. While it is now possible to identify AHFS patients who are at high risk of death, the therapeutic options available to improve their long-term outcomes are limited. ⋯ It is evident that rigorous clinical trial testing of the potential risks, benefits, and economic implications of MCS in patients with AHFS will need to be conducted before the "routine" application of this aggressive therapy. This paper examines the rationale for conducting trials of MCS devices in patients with AHFS, and it explores considerations for patient selection and appropriate endpoints. This manuscript was generated from discussions on this issue during the third international meeting of the International Working Group on AHFS held in Washington, DC, April 8-9, 2006.
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Hyponatremia is the most common electrolyte abnormality found in hospitalized patients with heart failure. It may occur in patients who have hypovolemic, hypervolemic, or euvolemic state. ⋯ It is a major predictor of prognosis, and correction of hyponatremia can be effectively accomplished by vasopressin antagonists. However, it still remains to be seen whether the normalization of serum sodium with vasopressin antagonists will also lead to an improved long-term prognosis.
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Heart failure reviews · Dec 2007
ReviewPostconditioning: a mechanical maneuver that triggers biological and molecular cardioprotective responses to reperfusion.
Infarct size is determined not only by the duration and severity of ischemia, but also by pathological processes initiated at reperfusion (reperfusion injury). Numerous pharmacological strategies have been reported which administer drugs at or just before the onset of reperfusion, with subsequent salubrious effects, notably a reduction in infarct size. However, few if any of these strategies have become standard of care in the catheterization laboratory setting. ⋯ Postconditioning has been shown in two clinical studies to reduce infarct size in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in the catheterization laboratory, and at least five other studies are in some phase of implementation. This significant reduction in infarct size has implications for reduction in heart failure as a consequence of myocardial infarction, but this link has yet to be demonstrated. The salubrious effects of postconditioning are an indirect validation of the experimental and clinical importance of reperfusion injury in the setting of coronary artery occlusion.