Tailoring Therapies in Advanced Heart Failure

Mortality in heart failure with atrial fibrillation: Role of digoxin and diuretics

BACKGROUND

The impact of atrial fibrillation (AF) on mortality of patients with heart failure (HF) has been established. Nevertheless, the effect of some factors in mortality, such as digoxin or diuretic use, remains controversial. This study aims at assessing mortality in community-dwelling patients with stable HF related to AF and determines the relation of these drugs with prognosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Community-based cohort study of HF patients diagnosed between January 2010 and December 2014 attended at any one of the 279 primary healthcare centres of the Catalan Institute of Health (Spain). Follow-up ended on December 31, 2015, and the main outcome was mortality for all causes. The effect of clinical and demographic characteristics on survival was assessed by Cox proportional hazards model.

RESULTS

A total of 13 334 HF patients were included. Mean age was 78.7 years (SD 10.1), and 36.8% had AF. Mean follow-up was 26.9 months (SD 14.0). At the end of the study, 25.8% patients had died, and mortality was higher when AF was present (28.8% vs 24.1%, P < 0.001, respectively). Multivariate model confirmed the higher risk of death for AF patients (HR 1.10 95%, CI 1.02-1.19). Digoxin and diuretics were not associated with higher mortality in AF patients (HR 1.04 95% CI 0.92-1.18 and HR 1.04 95% CI 0.85-1.26, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

An excess of mortality in HF patients with AF was found in a large retrospective community-based cohort. Digoxin and diuretics did not affect mortality in HF patients with AF.

Management of advanced heart failure: a review

INTRODUCTION

Heart failure (HF) has become a global pandemic. Despite recent developments in both medical and device treatments, HF incidences continues to increase. The current definition of HF restricts itself to stages at which clinical symptoms are apparent. In advanced heart failure (AdHF), it is universally accepted that all patients are refractory to traditional therapies. As the number of HF patients increase, so does the need for additional treatments, with an increased proportion of patients requiring advanced therapies. Areas covered: This review discusses extensive evidence for the effect of medical treatment on HF, although the data on the effect on AdHF is scare. Authors review the relevant literature for treating AdHF patients. Furthermore, mechanical circulatory devices (MCD) have emerged as an alternative to heart transplantation and have been shown to enhance quality of life and reduce mortality therefore authors also review the current literature on the different MCD and technologies. Expert commentary: More patients will need advanced therapies, as the access to heart transplantation is limited by the number of available donors. AdHF patients should be identified timely since the window of opportunities for advanced therapy is narrow as their morbidity is progressive and survival is often short.