Heart Failure

Heart failure occurs when the heart cannot pump as much blood as the body requires. This ineffective pumping can lead to enlargement of the heart as the myocardium works harder pump the same amount of blood. Heart failure may be caused by defects in the myocardium, such as an a heart attack infarct, or due to structural issues such as severe heart valve regurgitation. Heart failure can be divided into HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The disease is further divided into four New York Heart Association (NYHA) classes. Stage IV heart failure is when the heart is completely failing and requires a heart transplant or hemodynamic support from a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).

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Sodium restrictive diet associated with decrease in HF-related readmissions

Home-delivered sodium-restricted Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH/SRD) meals after heart failure (HF) hospitalizations appeared safe in some patients, has the potential to improve HF symptoms and can reduce readmissions, according to new research in Circulation: Heart Failure.

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Study: Emphysema and heart failure a deadly combination

In a single-center study of smokers with heart failure, those who also had emphysema identified by CT were twice as likely to be rehospitalized for heart failure in the following two years.

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Cardiac monitoring may protect high-risk breast cancer patients against heart failure

While heart failure (HF) is an uncommon complication of breast cancer, a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology notes individuals treated with trastuzumab-based chemotherapy have a higher risk for HF—but they are not monitored for it, despite recommendations.

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Heart failure follow-up program improves outcomes, lowers costs

A program designed to provide rapid follow-up visits to heart failure patients after hospital discharge improved 30-day survival, reduced readmissions and saved money, according to a retrospective study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality.

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Protein could help prevent Duchenne cardiomyopathy

A protein known to protect brain function in the setting of Duchenne muscular dystrophy may also have a positive impact on the heart, according to preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences scientific sessions on Aug. 1 in San Antonio.

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Researchers propose dynamic waitlist for heart transplantation

Continually updated mortality models based on adverse events and end-organ function are better at showing which transplant candidates most urgently require a new heart, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Waist measurement could ID patients best suited for heart failure drugs

A simple measure of waist circumference could identify chronic heart failure patients who would benefit most from mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, according to a review published July 25 in JAMA Cardiology.

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Study offers insight into long-term LVEF trajectories

In following patients with heart failure for up to 15 years, Spanish cardiologists found left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) followed an inverse U-shape: LVEF improved for the first year, then plateaued for the rest of the first decade and declined in the following years—especially before death.

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