October 2011
The October 2011 issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure includes a report from the Heart of Soweto study which suggests that right heart failure and related pulmonary arterial hypertension are relatively common in urban Africans presenting with de novo heart disease.
In a report from the UPSTEP study, BNP guided therapy failed to improve morbidity and mortality compared to standard care in patients with chronic heart failure.
A study from the Netherlands reports on the clinical and prognostic impact of atrial fibrillation in heart failure patients with reduced and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.
Another study investigates the ability of the maximum rate of left ventricular pressure rise (dP/dTmax) to predict long term outcomes following implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy device.
The issue also includes a paper comparing the acute and chronic effects of adaptive servo-ventilation on left chamber geometry and function in patients with chronic heart failure.
Highlights from previous issues:
September 2011 I August 2011 I July 2011
September 2011
The September 2011 issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure includes a placebo controlled evaluation of the use of short-term opioids for the relief of breathlessness in patients with stable chronic heart failure.
A study from the UK reports on the use of mitral annular plane systolic excursion on exercise, as a simple tool for the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.
A report from the Pre-RELAX-AHF study suggests that worsening renal function in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure is related to poor clinical outcome and is predicted by a greater early drop in systolic blood pressure.
A study from Sweden suggests that device-guided respiratory modulation may have the potential to relieve symptoms in heart failure outpatients by changing their breathing pattern.
A comparison of outcomes for patients with de-novo cardiac resynchronization therapy devices and those with device upgrades is reported from the European CRT survey
August 2011
The August 2011 issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure includes a Position Statement from the ESC Working Group on Myocardial Function, entitled “Towards a re-definition of cardiac hypertrophy through a rational characterization of left ventricular phenotypes.
The issue also includes a paper from Sweden which describes the validation of a new instrument for measuring shortness of breath in the acute setting, which may help to discriminate patients with and without heart failure.
The results of the BENEFICIAL trial show that the AGE-breaker alagebrium did not improve exercise tolerance or cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure.
The results of the GALLANT trial suggest that the novel biomarker, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), may have prognostic value in patients with acute heart failure.
The rationale and design of the WHICH trial, an evaluation of home versus clinic based management of patients with chronic heart failure, is also published in this issue.
July 2011
The July 2011 issue of the European Journal of Heart Failure includes a review of the use of cardiac contractility modulation, a novel electrical therapy, in the treatment of heart failure.
Two papers report on the use of combinations of biomarkers for risk stratification and evaluation of prognosis in patients with heart failure.
A systematic review describes the impact of ventricular assist devices on long-term post-transplant outcomes
Two reports from the aliskiren observation of heart failure treatment (ALOFT) study are published in the July issue; one describes the neurohumoral effects of aliskiren in patients with symptomatic heart failure who were also receiving a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. The other examines the relationship between baseline characteristics and urinary albumin excretion in the ALOFT cohort.
A meta-analysis of observational studies of revascularization among patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction is also published in this issue, and has an accompanying editorial.
A report from CIBIS III concludes that the order of drug administration influences the ability patients with chronic heart failure to reach target doses of bisoprolol and enalapril.