Patients with HFrEF who were treated with less than 50% of recommended dose of ACE-inhibitors/ARBs and beta-blockers seemed to have a greater risk of death and/or heart failure hospitalization compared with patients reaching ≥100%.

No abstract

No abstract

Acute heart failure (HF) is the most common diagnosis at discharge in patients aged >65years. It carries a dismal prognosis with a high in-hospital mortality and very high post-discharge mortality and re-hospitalization rates. It is a complex clinical syndrome that cannot be described as a single entity as it varies widely with respect to underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms, clinical presentations and, likely, treatments. It is the aim of this paper to describe some of the main clinical presentations of acute HF. Amongst them, we will consider de novo HF versus acutely decompensated chronic HF, HF caused, and/or worsened, by myocardial ischemia, acute HF with low, normal, or high systolic blood pressure, acute HF caused by lung congestion or fluid retention or fluid redistribution to the lungs, and acute HF with comorbidities (diabetes, anemia, renal insufficiency, etc.). Different pathophysiologic mechanisms and clinical presentations may coexist in the same patient. Identification and, whenever possible, treatment of underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms may become important for acute HF management.

No abstract

Aims Whether risk of worsening renal function (WRF) during acute heart failure (AHF) hospitalization or the association between in‐hospital WRF and post‐discharge outcomes vary according to left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is uncertain. We assessed incidence of WRF, factors related to its development and impact of WRF on post‐discharge outcomes across the spectrum of LVEF in patients enrolled in RELAX‐AHF‐2. Methods and results A total of 6112 patients who had LVEF measured on admission and renal function determined prospectively during hospitalization were included. WRF, defined as a rise in serum creatinine ≥0.3 mg/dL from baseline through day 5, occurred in 1722 patients (28.2%). Incidence increased progressively from lowest to highest LVEF quartile (P < 0.001). After baseline adjustment, WRF risk in Q4 (LVEF >50%) remained significantly greater than in Q1 (LVEF ≤29%; hazard ratio 1.2, 95% confidence interval 1–1.43; P = 0.050). Age and comorbidity burden including chronic kidney disease increased as LVEF increased. Neither admission haemodynamic abnormalities, extent of diuresis during hospitalization nor residual congestion explained the increased incidence of WRF in patients with higher LVEF. Serelaxin treatment and diuretic responsiveness were associated with reduced risk of WRF in all LVEF quartiles. WRF in patients in the upper three LVEF quartiles increased risk of post‐discharge events. Conclusions Worsening renal function incidence during AHF hospitalization increases progressively with LVEF. Greater susceptibility of patients with higher LVEF to WRF appears more related to their advanced age and worse underlying kidney function rather than haemodynamic or treatment effects. WRF is associated with increased risk of post‐discharge events except in patients in the lowest LVEF quartile.

Overall, patients with AHF and moderate/severe peripheral edema have a worse prognosis but appear to receive similar relative benefit and perhaps greater absolute benefit from serelaxin administration.

No abstract