Please take special notice of the terms that are used. They will be critical to understanding this condition and ensure the patient is on all appropriate medications.
Heart Failure (Note the term congestive heart failure is not used because not all heart failure is associated with congestive symptoms and thus the need for diuretics is only where congestive symptoms are present)
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ACC/AHA classification
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Please note medications that prevent or improve clinical symptoms (morbidity) vs those that slow progression and improve survival (mortality / outcomes)
o When considering certain classes of medication, select agents are approved OR are dosed to a specific target dose
Examples
Beta blockers - All patients with stable NYHA Class II or III HF due to LV dysfunction OR ACC/AHA Stage B if s/p MI or asymptomatic LVH or EF < 40%) should receive a beta-blocker (unless not tolerated).. carvedilol, metoprolol extended/controlled release and bisoprolol are the only beta blockers that should be used in HF (CIBIS II, MERIT HF trial, COPERNICUS trial) …titrated to “target doses” if possible
Beta blockers may reduce mortality in stable patients with class II and III heart failure and possibly class IV heart failure
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ACEIs /ARBs - ALL patients with left ventricular dysfunction (HFrEF) and current or prior symptoms should receive an ACEI (unless contraindicated or patient is intolerant) .. titrated to “target doses” if possible
slow progression, decrease mortality as well as the combined risk of death and hospitalizations
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Diuretics - for patients with congestive symptoms .. they DO NOT provide any mortality benefit
NOTE term: Diuretic resistance- described below
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Other interventions to review for HF include ARNIs, MRAs, ISDN/Hydralazine, Digoxin, SGLT2Is
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o Goals of reducing edema and improving symptoms can be generally be achieved with a loop diuretic alone.
o Greater diuretic capabilities and they retain their efficacy with decreased renal function
o Appropriate use of diuretics is key to the success of other drugs used for HF
too little diuretic: diminish patients response to ACEI’s
too much diuretic: volume contraction, increases risk of hypotension and renal insufficiency
o These agents have no effect on disease progression or mortality
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o Thiazides - Utilization in HF less than loops as a single agent, but as combination therapy with loops for synergistic effect with demonstrated diuretic resistance
§ Note: Thiazides are usually insufficient in dealing with edema and volume overload in patients with HF (except in maybe very early disease). In fact, even increasing doses has little benefit in improving diuresis . In addition, they are NOT effective with a CrCl < 30ml/min. Discontinue and replace with a loop diuretic in symptoms of edema volume overload in HF
§ Note: Ocassionally, some thiazides (metolazone) may be used in combination with loops for their [K] sparing properties
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o § Diuretic Resistance - poor response to a diuretic (loop) / edema refractory to loop diuretics that have been optomized
Overcoming diuretic resistance
increase CO to increase RBF and delivery of drug to nephron
vasodilators – reverse the widespread vasoconstriction in HF, including that of the renal vasculature which is restricting GFR
if on a loop, increase freq. / dose
if insufficient response – additional agents added on to get sequential response (ex optomized loop + metolazone or thiazide)
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o o Guidelines - In patients with chronic symptomatic HFr EF NYHA class II or III who tolerate an ACE inhibitor or ARB, replacement by an ARNI is recommended to further reduce morbidity and mortality
Note: this is a strong recommendation, but based on moderate (vs high) level of evidence
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Beta blockers - use may seem contradictory. Why ?
* Beneficial effects in stable angina:
o Block the effects of high [NEPI] and other sympathetic NT
o Decrease ventricular arrhythmias (sudden cardiac death)
o Decrease cardiac hypertrophy (remodeling) and cardiac cell death (apoptosis)
o Decrease vasoconstriction and heart rate
o Decrease mortality
* o Start very low, titrated very slow (too fast = decompensation)
* o Caution NYHA III IV – may further impair contractility
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Emerging therapies:
* HCN channel blocker (Ivabradine)- Indicated to decrease risk of hospitalization for worsening HF in patients with stable, symptomatic (NYHA class II-III) chronic heart failure with EF ≤ 35%, who are in sinus rhythm with resting heart rate ≥ 70 BPM and either are on guideline directed evidence based therapy, including maximally tolerated doses of beta blockers or have a contraindication to beta-blocker use.
* SGLT2Is reduces risk of worsening heart failure, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death in adults with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, regardless of presence of diabetes
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