ESC heart failure
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In atrial fibrillation, stroke risk is assessed by the CHA2 DS2 -VASc score. Heart failure is included in CHA2 DS2 -VASc, but the rationale is uncertain. Our objective was to test if heart failure is a risk factor for stroke, independent of other risk factors in CHA2 DS2 -VASc. ⋯ A clinical diagnosis of heart failure was not an independent risk factor for stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation, which may have implications for anticoagulation management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Evaluation of an individualized dose titration regimen of patiromer to prevent hyperkalaemia in patients with heart failure and chronic kidney disease.
Hyperkalaemia risk precludes optimal renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitor use in patients with heart failure (HF), particularly those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Patiromer is a sodium-free, non-absorbed potassium (K+ )-binding polymer approved for the treatment of hyperkalaemia. In PEARL-HF, patiromer 25.2 g (fixed dose) prevented hyperkalaemia in HF patients with or without CKD initiating spironolactone. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a lower starting dose of patiromer (16.4 g/day) followed by individualized titration in preventing hyperkalaemia and hypokalaemia when initiating spironolactone. ⋯ In this open-label study, patiromer 16.8 g/day followed by individualized titration maintained serum K+ within the target range in the majority of patients with HF and CKD, all of whom were uptitrated to spironolactone 50 mg/day, patiromer was well tolerated, with a low incidence of hyperkalaemia, hypokalaemia, and hypomagnesaemia.