International journal of cardiology
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Numerous registries, including the most recent ESC Euro-observational registry, have reported a large and persistent gap between real-life practice in the use of life-saving evidence-based therapies (such as renin angiotensin antagonists, beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) and recommended practices in international guidelines. Although the use of multiple renin angiotensin aldosterone system-inhibitors is associated with the development of worsening renal function and hyperkalemia in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, increased efforts should be expended to initiate and maintain target doses of these agents so as to provide their benefits on mortality and hospitalizations for heart failure.
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Despite the widespread use of Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, there is no quality evidence to demonstrate their efficacy for routine use, nor there is a consensus on their appropriate indications among major medical societies. The introduction of retrievable filters led to further increase in the utilization of these devices. However, several studies have shown that retrievable filters are rarely retrieved. ⋯ Food and Drug Administration has recently issued a safety alert advocating for consideration of filter retrieval when the protection offered by the filter is no longer needed. The controversies surrounding IVC filter placement and retrieval, however, will likely to continue in the absence of good evidence on their efficacy and side effects. Time has come for initiatives to conduct well designed trials based on agreed-upon criteria to settle this debate.
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Combination therapy in pulmonary arterial hypertension is widely used in daily clinical practice. There is a wide variation among reference centers, with respect to not only when and how combination therapy should be initiated, but also what constitutes the most effective multidrug regimen. Presently, no combination therapy has proven to be more effective than the other. ⋯ In the study of Bergot et al. the current use of epoprostenol in newly diagnosed patients with severe idiopathic, heritable or anorexigen-use associated pulmonary arterial hypertension enrolled in the French pulmonary hypertension registry was investigated. Up-front combination of epoprostenol and oral pulmonary arterial hypertension tended to be more beneficial compared with epoprostenol alone. New drug trials with well-defined morbidity and mortality end-points are likely to help not only identify novel agents that may help in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension but also determine the most useful combination strategies to maximize efficacy of existing drugs.
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Renal denervation is increasingly being adopted as a treatment option in patients with resistant hypertension. The long-term safety of this procedure is unknown. Though the procedure interrupts the sympathetic nerves at the renal level, it also has effects on other organ beds, notably the heart and vasculature. ⋯ There is a theoretical concern that attenuating the renal sympathetic nerves might cause orthostatic hypotension or syncope. From the limited data available from hypertension trials, the procedure has not been associated with excessive episodes of syncope and this is supported by mechanistic tilt table data in asymptomatic patients. Ultimately, the safety of this technique will only be established once we have larger phase III/IV studies.