Heart failure is a global pandemic affecting an estimated 26 million people worldwide and resulting in more than 1 million hospitalizations annually in both the United States and Europe. Although the outcomes for ambulatory HF patients with a reduced ejection fraction (EF) have improved with the discovery of multiple evidence-based drug and device therapies, hospitalized heart failure (HHF) patients continue to experience unacceptably high post-discharge mortality and readmission rates that have not changed in the last 2 decades. In addition, the proportion of HHF patients classified as having a preserved EF continues to grow and may overtake HF with a reduced EF in the near future. However, the prognosis for HF with a preserved EF is similar and there are currently no available disease-modifying therapies. HHF registries have significantly improved our understanding of this clinical entity and remain an important source of data shaping both public policy and research efforts. The authors review global HHF registries to describe the patient characteristics, management, outcomes and their predictors, quality improvement initiatives, regional differences, and limitations of the available data. Moreover, based on the lessons learned, they also propose a roadmap for the design and conduct of future HHF registries.

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. Methods: We randomly assigned patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease to the addition of once-weekly subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30 mg to 50 mg) or matching placebo to standard care. We hypothesized that albiglutide would be noninferior to placebo for the primary outcome of first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. If noninferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for the hazard ratio of less than 1.30, closed-testing for superiority was prespecified. Findings: Overall, 9463 participants were followed for a median of 1.6 years. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 of 4731 patients (7.1%; 4.6 events per 100 person-years) in the albiglutide group and in 428 of 4732 patients (9.0%; 5.9 events per 100 person-years) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.78; 95% confidence interval [CI ], 0.68 to 0.90), indicating that albiglutide, was superior to placebo (P<0.0001 for noninferiority, P=0.0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (albiglutide 10 patients and placebo 7 patients), pancreatic cancer (6 and 5), medullary thyroid carcinoma (0 and 0), and other serious adverse events did not differ significantly between the two groups. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline; Harmony Outcomes ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02465515.) noninferiority; P = 0.06 for superiority). There seems to be variation in the results of existing trials with GLP-1 receptor agonists, which if correct, might reflect drug structure or duration of action, patients studied, duration of follow-up or other factors.

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Among patients admitted for worsening signs and symptoms of HF and reduced EF, congestion improves substantially during hospitalization in response to standard therapy alone. However, patients with absent or minimal resting signs and symptoms at discharge still experienced a high mortality and readmission rate.

AimsAbnormal liver function tests (LFTs) are common in ambulatory heart failure (HF). The aim of this study was to characterize abnormal LFTs during index hospitalization. Methods and resultsA post-hoc analysis was carried out of the placebo group of the EVEREST (Efficacy of Vasopressin Antagonism in Heart Failure Outcome Study with Tolvaptan) trial, which enrolled patients hospitalized for HF with an ejection fraction (EF) ≤40% and no history of primary significant liver disease or acute hepatic failure. LFTs (abbreviation, cut-offs for abnormal values) including serum albumin (ALB, ,3.3 g/dL), aspartate transaminase (AST, .34 IU/L), alanine transaminase (ALT, .34 IU/L), alkaline phosphatase (AP, .123 IU/L),g-glutamyl transferase (GGT, .50 IU/L), and total bilirubin (T Bili, .1.2 mg/dL) were measured at baseline, discharge/day 7, and post-discharge. Coprimary endpoints were all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiovascular mortality or first HF hospitalization (CVM + HFH). Study participants had a mean age of 65.6 + 12.0 years, were mostly male, reported high prevalences of medical co-morbidities, and were well treated with evidence-based therapies. Baseline LFT abnormalities were common (ALB 17%, AST 21%, ALT 21%, AP 23%, GGT 62%, and T Bili 26%). Abnormal T Bili was the only marker to decrease substantially from baseline (26%) to discharge/day 7 (19%). All LFTs, except AP, improved post-discharge. Lower baseline ALB and elevated T Bili were associated with higher rates of ACM, and in-hospital decreases in ALB and increases in T Bili were associated with higher rates of both ACM and CVM + HFH. ConclusionLFT abnormalities are common during hospitalization for HF in patients with reduced EF and were persistent at discharge. Baseline and in-hospital changes in ALB and T Bili provide additional prognostic value.--

As patients continue to live longer after myocardial infarction (MI), the prevalence of post-MI heart failure continues to rise. Changes in the left ventricle (LV) after MI involve complex interactions between cellular and extracellular components, under neurohormonal regulation. Treatments to prevent adverse LV remodeling and promote reverse remodeling in the post-MI setting include early revascularization, pharmacotherapy aimed at neurohormonal blockade, and device-based therapies that address ventricular dyssynchrony. Despite varying definitions of adverse LV remodeling examined across multiple imaging modalities, the presence of an enlarged LV cavity and/or reduced ejection fraction is consistently associated with poor clinical outcomes. Advances in our knowledge of the neurohormonal regulation of adverse cardiac remodeling have been instrumental in generating therapies aimed at arresting adverse remodeling and promoting reserve remodeling. Further investigation into other specific mechanisms of adverse LV remodeling and pathways to disrupt these mechanisms is ongoing and may provide incremental benefit to current evidence-based therapies.

AimsHaemoconcentration has been studied as a marker of decongestion in patients with hospitalization for heart failure (HHF). We describe the relationship between haemoconcentration, worsening renal function, post-discharge outcomes, and clinical and laboratory markers of congestion in a large multinational cohort of patients with HHF. Methods and resultsIn 1684 patients with HHF with ejection fraction (EF) ≤40% assigned to the placebo arm of the Efficacy of Vasopressin Antagonism in Heart Failure Outcome Study with Tolvaptan (EVEREST) trial, absolute in-hospital haematocrit change was calculated as the change between baseline and discharge or day 7 (whichever occurred first). Patient characteristics, changes in renal function, and outcomes over a median follow-up of 9.9 months were compared by in-hospital haematocrit change. Overall, 26% of patients had evidence of haemoconcentration (i.e. ≥3% absolute increase in haematocrit). Patients with greater increases in haematocrit tended to have better baseline renal function. Haemoconcentration correlated with greater risk of in-hospital worsening renal function, but renal parameters generally returned to baseline within 4 weeks post-discharge. Patients with haemoconcentration were less likely to have clinical congestion at discharge, and experienced greater in-hospital decreases in body weight and natriuretic peptide levels. After adjustment for baseline clinical risk factors, every 5% increase of in-hospital haematocrit change was associated with a decreased risk of all-cause death [hazard ratio (HR) 0.81, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.70-0.95]. Haematocrit change was also associated with decreased cardiovascular mortality or heart failure (HF) hospitalization at ≤100 days post-randomization (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.71-0.76). ConclusionIn this large cohort of patients with HHF with reduced EF, haemoconcentration was associated with greater improvements in congestion and decreased mortality and HF re-hospitalization despite an increased risk of in-hospital worsening renal function.--