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Congestion explains many of the signs and symptoms of acute heart failure (AHF) and disease progression. However, accurate quantification of congestion is challenging in daily practice. Antigen carbohydrate 125 (CA125) or mucin 16 (MUC16), a large glycoprotein synthesized by mesothelial cells, has emerged as a reliable proxy of congestion and inflammation in patients with heart failure (HF). In AHF syndromes, CA125 is strongly associated with right‐sided HF parameters and a higher risk of adverse clinical events beyond standard prognostic factors, including natriuretic peptides. Furthermore, CA125 has the potential for both monitoring and guide HF treatment following a decompensated HF event. The wide availability of CA125 in most clinical laboratories, together with its standardized measurement and reduced cost, makes this marker attractive for routine use in decompensated HF. Further research is required to understand better its biological role and its promising utility as a tool to guide decongestive therapy in HF.

Either modeled continuously or categorically, serum potassium levels during long-term monitoring were independently associated with mortality in patients with heart failure. Likewise, persistence of abnormal potassium levels was linked to a higher risk of death in comparison with patients who maintained or returned to normal values.

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new biomarkers with potential prognostic implication in heart failure (HF). Nevertheless, most of them do not fulfill the required criteria for being used in daily clinical practice. Tumor marker antigen carbohydrate 125 (CA125), a glycoprotein widely used for ovarian cancer monitoring, is synthesized by epithelial serous cells in response to fluid accumulation and/or cytokine stimuli. This glycoprotein has been emerged as a potential biomarker in HF. Plasma CA125 correlates with clinical, hemodynamic, and echocardiographic parameters related to the severity of the disease. High levels have shown to be present in the majority of acutely decompensated patients, and in this setting, it has shown to be independently related to mortality or subsequent admission for acute HF. In addition, certain characteristics such as wide availability and the close correlation between plasma changes with disease severity and clinical outcomes have increased the interest of researchers about the potential of this glycoprotein for monitoring and guiding therapy in HF. In this article, we have reviewed the available evidence supporting the potential role of CA125 as a biomarker in HF.

In patients admitted with AHF, CA125 added prognostic value beyond the information provided by BNP, and thus, their combination enables better 6-month risk stratification.

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AimsContinuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) has been proposed as an additional therapeutic resource for patients with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF). The objective of this study was to determine the therapeutic role of CAPD, in terms of surrogate endpoints, in the management of patients with advanced CHF and renal dysfunction. Methods and resultsA total of 57 candidates with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III/IV CHF, renal dysfunction (glomerular filtration rate , 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ), persistent fluid congestion despite loop diuretic treatment, and at least two previous hospitalizations for acute heart failure (AHF) were invited to be included in the CAPD programme; however, 25 patients were finally included. The primary outcome was evaluated by the change at 6 and 24 weeks for the Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ), the 6 min walk test (6MWT), NYHA class, serum natriuretic peptides [brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP)], serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125), and hospitalization rates for AHF. CAPD was associated with a substantial improvement in the MLWHFQ (-21.3, P , 0.001; and -20.4, P , 0.001), the 6MWT (54.0, P , 0.001; and 45.6, P ¼ 0.023), and NYHA class ( -1.0, P , 0.001; and -1.4, P , 0.001) at 6 and 24 weeks, respectively. The Ln(CA125) decreased markedly (-0.8, P ¼ 0.003; and -0.98, P ¼ 0.003), with no effect on BNP and NT-proBNP. There was a marked reduction in the number of days hospitalized for AHF (6 month post-CAPD vs. 6 months pre-CAPD: -84%; P , 0.001). ConclusionsIn advanced CHF and renal dysfunction, CAPD was associated with short/mid-term improvement in severity parameters, with an acceptable rate of side effects.--

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