参麦养心片对心力衰竭患者血浆BNP及心功能、室性心律失常的影响

目的观察参麦养心片对心力衰竭(CHF)患者血浆脑利钠肽(BNP)及心功能、室性心律失常的影响。方法 83例CHF患者按随机数表法分为治疗组(43例)和对照组(40例)。两组均予以西医强心、利尿、扩血管、抗心律失常治疗。治疗组在常规治疗基础上加用参麦养心片4片,每日3次,连续2周为1个疗程。两组均于治疗前后测定BNP浓度,并观察心功能、室性心律失常的情况。结果两组临床疗效分别为88.4%与75.0%,治疗组优于对照组。两组治疗后血BNP浓度较治疗前下降,心功能较治疗前改善;治疗组治疗后BNP下降及心功能、室性心律失常改善明显优于对照组(P<0.05)。结论参麦养心片能有效降低CHF患者的BNP浓度,改善心功能、室性心律失常。     

Natriuretic peptides

Natriuretic peptides (NPs) are released from the heart in response to pressure and volume overload. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-proBNP have become important diagnostic tools for assessing patients who present acutely with dyspnea. The NP level reflects a compilation of systolic and diastolic function as well as right ventricular and valvular function. Studies suggest that using NPs in the emergency department can reduce the consumption of hospital resources and can lower costs by either eliminating the need for other, more expensive tests or by establishing an alternative diagnosis that does not require hospital stay. Caveats such as body mass index and renal function must be taken into account when analyzing NP levels. Natriuretic peptide levels have important prognostic value in multiple clinical settings, including in patients with stable coronary artery disease and with acute coronary syndromes. In patients with decompensated heart failure due to volume overload, a treatment-induced drop in wedge pressure is often accompanied by a rapid drop in NP levels. Knowing a patient's NP levels might thus assist with hemodynamic assessment and subsequent treatment titration. Monitoring NP levels in the outpatient setting might also improve patient care and outcomes.     

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Mortality in Patients With and Without Heart Failure

Background

Circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations strongly predict mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). Both cardiac and extracardiac stimuli influence BNP levels, suggesting that BNP might have similar prognostic value in patients without HF.

Increased comorbidities in heart failure patients ≥ 85 years but declined from > 90 years: Data from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry

Objectives

Epidemiological studies of elderly heart failure (HF) patients (≥ 85 years) are limited with inconsistent findings. Our objective is to confirm and extend epidemiological study in elderly (≥ 85 years) patients using the Swedish Heart Failure Registry database.

Methods

This retrospective study included 8,347 HF patients aged ≤ 65 years and 15,889 HF patients aged ≥ 85 years. Elderly population was further divided into two subgroups: 11,412 patients were 85–90 years and 4,477 patients were > 90 years.

Results

The ≥ 85 year group was characterized by more women, higher systolic blood pressure (SBP), lower body-mass index (BMI), more than twice as many HF with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (HFNEF), higher incidence of cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular comorbidities and less use of proven therapeutics compared with the ≤ 65 year group. Compared with the 85–90 year subgroup, the > 90 year subgroup had a decline in cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular comorbidities except renal insufficiency and anaemia which continued to increase with ageing (p < 0.01). Tendency was the same regardless of gender but slightly different between systolic HF (SHF) and HFNEF. In the group with HFNEF, there were more women, higher SBP, lower N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels, less ischaemic heart disease, more hypertension and left bundle branch block regardless of age. Atrial fibrillation was more frequent in patients with HFNEF than with SHF in the elderly group (p < 0.01). Patients with HFNEF in the > 90 year subgroup had increasing incidence of ischaemic heart disease compared to 85–90 year group (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

HF patients ≥ 85 years had increased cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular comorbidities but with a decline from > 90 years.     

Carvedilol for Prevention of Chemotherapy-Related Cardiotoxicity: The CECCY Trial

Background

Anthracycline (ANT) chemotherapy is associated with cardiotoxicity. Prevention with β-blockers remains controversial.

益气活血利水法治疗慢性心力衰竭有效性和安全性的Meta分析

目的系统评价益气活血利水法治疗慢性心力衰竭的疗效及对病人生活质量的影响。方法计算机检索2009年1月1日—2019年6月1日电子数据库及手工检索国内心血管病、中医药期刊、会议论文集中益气活血利水法治疗慢性心力衰竭的临床随机对照研究。采用RevMan 5.3软件对两组临床总有效率、左室射血分数、脑钠肽(BNP)、6 min步行试验(6MWT)及明尼苏达心力衰竭生活质量量表评分进行Meta分析。结果共纳入14项临床随机对照研究,涉及1037例病人,其中中药组522例,对照组515例。Meta分析结果显示:中药组临床总有效率高于对照组[OR=4.30,95%CI(2.88,6.42),P<0.00001],左室射血分数高于对照组[WMD=4.94,95%CI(3.21,6.67),P<0.00001],6MWT长于对照组[WMD=51.91,95%CI(29.17,74.66),P<0.00001];中药组BNP水平低于对照组[WMD=-120.38,95%CI(-158.46,-82.30),P<0.00001],明尼苏达心力衰竭生活质量量表评分低于对照组[WMD=-5.65,95%CI(-6.86,-4.45),P<0.00001]。结论现有证据表明:在常规西药治疗基础上应用益气活血利水法中药治疗慢性心力衰竭较单纯西药更有效,可改善病人生活质量。     

Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction and Diabetes: JACC State-of-the-Art Review

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is now the most common form of HF, affecting over 3 million adults in the United States alone. HFpEF is a heterogenous syndrome. One important phenotype may be related to comorbid conditions, including diabetes mellitus (DM). DM has a prevalence of approximately 45% in HFpEF, but characteristics and outcomes of this population are poorly understood. In this review, the authors summarize data from several clinical trials of HFpEF therapeutics and provide original data from a large cohort using the Get With The Guidelines-HF registry, which together suggest that DM is associated with increased morbidity and long-term mortality in HFpEF. The authors then discuss several common pathological mechanisms in HFpEF and DM, including sodium retention, metabolic derangements, impaired skeletal muscle function, and potential therapeutic targets. As the understanding of comorbid HFpEF and DM improves, it is hoped clinicians will be better equipped to offer effective, patient-centered treatments.     

Reverse remodeling during long-term mechanical unloading of the left ventricle

A significant proportion of patients placed on long-term mechanical circulatory support for end-stage heart failure can be weaned from mechanical assistance after functional recovery of their native heart ("bridge to recovery"). The pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in reverse remodeling that cause a sustained functional myocardial recovery have recently become the subject of intensive research, expected to provide information with a view to accurately identify reliable prognostic indicators of recovery. In addition, this kind of information will enable changes in the strategy of myocardial recovery by modifying the duration and scale of the unloading regimen or by combining it with other treatments that promote reverse remodeling.     

Palliative care and hospice in advanced heart failure

Advanced heart failure (HF) is a disease process that carries a high burden of symptoms, suffering, and death. Palliative care can complement traditional care to improve symptom amelioration, patient-caregiver communication, emotional support, and medical decision making. Despite a growing body of evidence supporting the integration of palliative care into the overall care of patients with HF and some recent evidence of increased use, palliative therapies remain underused in the treatment of advanced HF. Review of the literature reveals that although barriers to integrating palliative care are not fully understood, difficult prognostication combined with caregiver inexperience with end-of-life issues specific to advanced HF is likely to contribute. In this review, we have outlined the general need for palliative care in advanced HF, detailed how palliative measures can be integrated into the care of those having this disease, and explored end-of-life issues specific to these patients.     

Predicting Survival From Large Echocardiography and Electronic Health Record Datasets: Optimization With Machine Learning

Objectives

The goal of this study was to use machine learning to more accurately predict survival after echocardiography.

Global Longitudinal Strain to Predict Mortality in Patients With Acute Heart Failure

Background

Heart failure (HF) is currently classified according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF); however, the prognostic value of LVEF is controversial. Myocardial strain is a prognostic factor independently of LVEF.

N-Terminal Pro–B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in the Emergency Department: The ICON-RELOADED Study

Background

Contemporary reconsideration of diagnostic N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) cutoffs for diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is needed.

Echocardiography in heart failure: applications, utility, and new horizons

Echocardiography is well qualified to meet the growing need for noninvasive imaging in the expanding heart failure (HF) population. The recently-released American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the diagnosis and management of HF labeled echocardiography "the single most useful diagnostic test in the evaluation of patients with HF...," because of its ability to accurately and noninvasively provide measures of ventricular function and assess causes of structural heart disease. It can also detect and define the hemodynamic and morphologic changes in HF over time and might be equivalent to invasive measures in guiding therapy. In this article we will discuss: 1) the clinical uses of echocardiography in HF and their prognostic value; 2) the use of echocardiography to guide treatment in HF patients; and 3) promising future techniques for echocardiographic-based imaging in HF. In addition, we will highlight some of the limitations of echocardiography.