Circulation. Heart failure
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled study evaluating the effect of aldosterone antagonism with eplerenone on ventricular remodeling in patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction.
Aldosterone antagonism has been studied in patients with advanced heart failure (HF) and also in patients with post-myocardial infarction and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction with HF symptoms. Few data are available on effects of aldosterone antagonism in patients with mild-to-moderate HF. ⋯ In a clinically stable, well-treated population of patients with mild-to-moderate HF symptoms and LV dysfunction, 36 weeks of treatment of aldosterone antagonism with eplerenone at a dose of 50 mg daily had no detectable effect on parameters of LV remodeling.
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Multicenter Study
Hyponatremia, natriuretic peptides, and outcomes in acutely decompensated heart failure: results from the International Collaborative of NT-proBNP Study.
Hyponatremia is a well-known predictor of mortality in patients with acutely decompensated heart failure. Associations between hyponatremia and other prognostic variables in acutely decompensated heart failure, such as amino-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide remain unclear. ⋯ Hyponatremia is associated with adverse outcome in patients with acutely decompensated heart failure; however, the prognostic value of low Na is mainly evident in those with more pronounced elevation of NT-proBNP concentrations.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Doppler echocardiography in advanced systolic heart failure: a noninvasive alternative to Swan-Ganz catheter.
Although several studies have demonstrated a good correlation between Doppler echocardiographic and invasive measurements of single hemodynamic variables, the accuracy of echocardiography in providing a comprehensive assessment in individual patients has not been validated. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy and clinical applicability of Doppler echocardiography in determining the entire hemodynamic profile in stable patients with advanced systolic heart failure. ⋯ Doppler echocardiography may offer a valid alternative to invasive cardiac catheterization for the comprehensive hemodynamic assessment of patients with advanced heart failure, and it may assist in monitoring and optimization of therapy in potential heart transplant recipients.
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We addressed the hypothesis that the inotropic drugs dobutamine and levosimendan both induce surplus oxygen consumption (oxygen wasting) relative to their contractile effect in equipotent therapeutic doses, with levosimendan being energetically more efficient. ⋯ Therapeutic levels of neither dobutamine nor levosimendan showed inotropic oxygen wasting in this in vivo pig model. Thus, relevant hemodynamic responses can be achieved with an adrenergic inotrope without surplus oxygen consumption.