Issue Highlights
Review Article
Bronchodilators in Heart Failure Patients With COPD: Is It Time for a Clinical Trial?Chronic heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly coexist, and patients with both diseases fare worse than those with either disease alone. Several factors may contribute to worse outcomes, including an increased burden of care related to greater disease complexity, an overlap of symptoms resulting in misapplication of therapy, and the adverse effects of treatment for one disease on the symptoms and outcomes related to the other.
Clinical Investigations
Young Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy Have Higher Likelihood of Left Ventricular Recovery During Left Ventricular Assist Device SupportThe results of this study suggest that LV recovery is most likely to occur in young patients (<40 years) with nonischemic cardiomyopathy of <1 year duration. Two-year postexplant survival was excellent.
- Comparison of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Outcomes in Patients With New York Heart Association Functional Class I/II Versus III/IV Heart Failure
In this real-world clinical scenario, NYHA functional class I/II CRT patients improved clinical status, and LV function and size as good as or better than those in NYHA functional class III/IV patients. These observations provide further support for the use of CRT in patients with mild symptoms of HF.
HFSA Guidelines, Position Statements, and Consensus Statements
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Plasma Pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide Testing as a Screening Method for Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy21 May 2012
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Circulating Heart-type Fatty Acid Binding Protein Levels Predict the Occurrence of Appropriate Shocks and Cardiac Death in Patients With Implantable Cardioverter-defibrillators11 May 2012
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Prevalence, Morbidity, and Mortality of Heart Failure–Related Hospitalizations in Children in the United States: A Population-Based Study12 April 2012
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Utilization of Hospice and Predicted Mortality Risk Among Older Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure: Findings From GWTG-HF29 March 2012
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Prognostic Value of Serum Tenascin-C Levels on Long-term Outcome After Acute Myocardial Infarction29 March 2012
