European journal of heart failure
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Eur. J. Heart Fail. · Oct 2015
Randomized Controlled TrialBaroreflex activation therapy for the treatment of heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction: safety and efficacy in patients with and without cardiac resynchronization therapy.
Increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activity contribute to heart failure (HF) symptoms and disease progression. Carotid baroreceptor stimulation (baroreflex activation therapy, BAT) results in centrally mediated reduction of sympathetic and increase in parasympathetic activity. Because patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) may have less sympathetic/parasympathetic imbalance, we hypothesized that there would be differences in the response to BAT in patients with CRT vs. those without CRT. ⋯ BAT is safe and significantly improved QoL, exercise capacity, NTpro-BNP, EF, and rate of HF hospitalizations in GDMT-treated NYHA Class III HF patients. These effects were most pronounced in patients not treated with CRT.
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Eur. J. Heart Fail. · Oct 2015
Effect of patiromer on reducing serum potassium and preventing recurrent hyperkalaemia in patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease on RAAS inhibitors.
We evaluated the effects of patiromer, a potassium (K(+))-binding polymer, in a pre-specified analysis of hyperkalaemic patients with heart failure (HF) in the OPAL-HK trial. ⋯ In patients with CKD and HF who were hyperkalaemic on RAASi, patiromer was well tolerated, decreased serum K(+), and, compared with placebo, reduced recurrent hyperkalaemia.
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Eur. J. Heart Fail. · Sep 2015
Editorial CommentCardiac resynchronization revisited: what is the next step?
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Eur. J. Heart Fail. · Sep 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyReduced risk of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias with cardiac resynchronization therapy: relationship to left ventricular ejection fraction.
We hypothesized that the relationship between LVEF and the risk of life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias (VTAs) may modify the effect of a CRT device with a defibrillator (CRT-D) on VTA risk. ⋯ Our data suggest that in mild HF patients with cardiomyopathy there is an inverse correlation between LVEF and the risk of life-threatening VTAs, possibly contributing to the attenuation in the antiarrhythmic properties of CRT with increasing left ventricular function.