Background Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare, pregnancy associated cause of left ventricular heart failure in previously healthy women. It remains an important cause of cardiac-related maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Half of the patients will recover left ventricular function after 6 months. However, in the remainder of patients who do not recover cardiac function, they will require advanced heart failure therapies. Bromocriptine, a dopamine agonist which inhibits prolactin release, has demonstrated improvement in left ventricular recovery and clinical outcome. We sought to determine the effect of adding Bromocriptine to standard heart failure therapy on the improvement and recovery of left ventricular function and cardiovascular mortality of these patients. Inclusion Criteria. Studies were included if they satisfied the following criteria:1) Randomized Controlled Trials; 2) Pregnant patients who fulfilled the criteria for diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy and 3) Reported data on improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction and clinical outcomes. Methods. Using PUBMED, Clinical Key, Science Direct, Scopus, and Cochrane databases, a search for eligible studies was conducted from June to December 31, 2018. The quality of each study was evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. The primary outcome of interest is on the effect of Bromocriptine on the improvement of left ventricular function and clinical outcomes among these patients. Review Manager 5.3 was utilized to perform analysis of random effects for continuous outcomes. Results. We identified 2 randomized controlled trials of 116 pregnant patients diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy, showing that among those who received Bromocriptine on top of standard heart failure therapy, there is a significant improvement in the left ventricular ejection fraction at 6 months [mean difference 15.14 (95% CI, 6.53 to 23.75) p <0.05] compared to standard heart failure therapy alone. It was also observed that those who received Bromocriptine had better clinical outcomes. Conclusion. The addition of Bromocriptine on top of standard heart failure therapy significantly improved the left ventricular ejection fraction of patients with peripartum cardiomyopathy at 6-months post-partum. This novel therapy may be considered to improve the management of these patients.
Background and Aims There is little information on the incremental prognostic importance of frailty beyond conventional prognostic variables in heart failure (HF) populations from different country income levels. Methods A total of 3429 adults with HF (age 61 ± 14 years, 33% women) from 27 high-, middle- and low-income countries were prospectively studied. Baseline frailty was evaluated by the Fried index, incorporating handgrip strength, gait speed, physical activity, unintended weight loss, and self-reported exhaustion. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 39 ± 14% and 26% had New York Heart Association Class III/IV symptoms. Participants were followed for a median (25th to 75th percentile) of 3.1 (2.0–4.3) years. Cox proportional hazard models for death and HF hospitalization adjusted for country income level; age; sex; education; HF aetiology; left ventricular ejection fraction; diabetes; tobacco and alcohol use; New York Heart Association functional class; HF medication use; blood pressure; and haemoglobin, sodium, and creatinine concentrations were performed. The incremental discriminatory value of frailty over and above the MAGGIC risk score was evaluated by the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve. Results At baseline, 18% of participants were robust, 61% pre-frail, and 21% frail. During follow-up, 565 (16%) participants died and 471 (14%) were hospitalized for HF. Respective adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for death among the pre-frail and frail were 1.59 (1.12–2.26) and 2.92 (1.99–4.27). Respective adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for HF hospitalization were 1.32 (0.93–1.87) and 1.97 (1.33–2.91). Findings were consistent among different country income levels and by most subgroups. Adding frailty to the MAGGIC risk score improved the discrimination of future death and HF hospitalization. Conclusions Frailty confers substantial incremental prognostic information to prognostic variables for predicting death and HF hospitalization. The relationship between frailty and these outcomes is consistent across countries at all income levels.
Background Several studies have suggested that hypochloremia is associated with adverse outcomes among patients with heart failure. The association appears to be more marked in those with acute decompensation. Research Question: What is the association of hypochloremia with mortality and worsening heart failure among patients in acute decompensation? Objective Determine the association of admission hypochloremia to all-cause mortality, heart failure death and worsening heart failure among patients with acute decompensated heart failure. Criteria for Inclusion of Studies: Studies were included if they satisfied the following criteria 1) observational cohort studies; 2) included patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure; and 3) reported data on mortality and worsening heart failure in association with admission hypochloremia. Methods A systematic search using MEDLINE, Clinical Key, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases was done, from June 2018 to January 31, 2019. The characteristics of included studies were collated. Data abstraction and quality assessment, using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale, were done independently by two reviewers, and disagreements were settled by a third reviewer. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 was utilized to perform Mantel-Haenzel analysis of random effects and compute for relative risk. Results We included three high quality cohort studies involving 3,444 patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure and having low serum chloride levels on admission. Our study shows that admission hypochloremia is associated with increased risk for all-cause mortality [RR 1.63, (95% CI 1.60 to 2.28, p < 0.00001]. Risks for heart failure death as mentioned in one study and worsening heart failure also in one study are likewise increased with hypochloremia on admission. Conclusion Admission hypochloremia is associated with higher all-cause mortality among patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure. The risk for heart failure death and worsening heart failure are also increased. Admission hypochloremia may be a useful prognosticator for heart failure patients.
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