Scholars@Duke
Christopher Michael O'Connor

Christopher Michael O'Connor

Adjunct Professor in the Department of Medicine
Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology
oconn002@mc.duke.edu
Duke Box 3356, Durham, NC 27710
7401 Hosp North, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications

Effect of Vericiguat on Total Heart Failure Events in Compensated Outpatients With HFrEF: Insights From VICTOR.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · December 16, 2025 BACKGROUND: In the VICTOR (Vericiguat Global Study in Participants With Chronic Heart Failure) trial, in a contemporary ambulatory cohort with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and no recent hospitalization, the primary outcome of hospita ... Full text Link to item Cite

Two-year outcomes in the direct oral anticoagulant apixaban in left ventricular assist devices (DOAC LVAD) study.

Journal Article J Heart Lung Transplant · December 2025 Anticoagulation with apixaban was previously demonstrated to be feasible without excess hemocompatibility-related adverse events (HRAEs) at 6 months but longer-term data on use of apixaban is lacking. We report 2-year outcomes of patients enrolled into the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geographic region variation in patient characteristics, clinical outcomes and treatment of HFrEF in the VICTORIA trial.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · December 2025 AIMS: Heterogeneity in demographics, aetiology, healthcare access and guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), and survival bias of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is evident from international trials and registries. Th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of standardized team-based care on cardiogenic shock outcomes over time.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · December 2025 BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Limited data exist regarding the impact of standardized care on cardiogenic shock (CS) outcomes over time. We aimed to investigate the influence of multidisciplinary management on CS outcomes following implementation of team-based prot ... Full text Link to item Cite

Blood pressure, safety and clinical efficacy of vericiguat in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Insights from the VICTOR trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · September 29, 2025 AIMS: The efficacy and safety of vericiguat in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) on contemporary heart failure (HF) therapies and without recent worsening was investigated in the VICTOR trial, yet some subgroups may ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vericiguat for patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction across the risk spectrum: an individual participant data analysis of the VICTORIA and VICTOR trials.

Journal Article Lancet · September 27, 2025 BACKGROUND: Following completion of the VICTORIA trial, vericiguat was approved for the treatment of worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and received a class IIb recommendation in European and North American guidelines. The subse ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessing Benefit in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction: Analysis of the VICTORIA Trial Using Novel Prognostic Risk Stratification.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 28, 2025 BACKGROUND: Randomized trials remain the standard for evaluating novel therapies. Primary endpoint(s) risk heterogeneity and may dilute treatment efficacy. The 5-step Stratified Testing and Amalgamation Routine (5-STAR) methodology helps to address these l ... Full text Link to item Cite

Baseline characteristics of contemporary trial participants with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: The VICTOR trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2025 AIMS: To describe the baseline characteristics of the participants in the VICTOR (Vericiguat Global Study in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure; NCT05093933) trial and compare them to recent trials in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fract ... Full text Link to item Cite

Derisking Phase II Clinical Trials in Heart Failure: A Position Paper from JACC: Basic to Translational Science and the Heart Failure Collaboratory.

Journal Article JACC Basic Transl Sci · May 2025 Phase II clinical trials play an important role in drug development, providing key data that guide decision-making for promising therapeutic candidates. An important objective of phase II is to establish proof of concept by demonstrating that the drug prod ... Full text Link to item Cite

Projecting the benefit of vericiguat in PARADIGM-HF and DAPA-HF populations: Insights from the VICTORIA trial.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · April 2025 AIMS: The VICTORIA trial demonstrated a significant reduction in the primary composite outcome of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or cardiovascular death with vericiguat relative to placebo in high-risk HF. This study aimed to contextualize treatment ef ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of ischemic etiology in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction randomized clinical trials: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Journal Article Eur J Intern Med · April 2025 AIMS: We investigated how ischemic etiology has been assigned in heart failure with a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of definitions, rates of is ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparing Analytical Methods for Composite End Points in Clinical Trials: Insights from the Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2025 BACKGROUND: In VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction), participants with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction, vericiguat decreased the primary composite outcome (time to first HF hospit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Standardized Definitions of Changes in Kidney Function in Trials of Heart Failure: JACC Expert Panel From the HF-ARC.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · February 25, 2025 Perturbations in kidney function are frequently encountered in heart failure (HF) across its spectrum in both chronic and acute settings with distinct implications for patient management and prognosis. Lack of consensus on the threshold for clinically mean ... Full text Link to item Cite

Guideline-directed medical therapy implementation during hospitalization for cardiogenic shock.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · February 2025 AIMS: Despite significant morbidity and mortality, recent advances in cardiogenic shock (CS) management have been associated with increased survival. However, little is known regarding the management of patients who survive CS with heart failure (HF) with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vericiguat Global Study in Participants with Chronic Heart Failure: Design of the VICTOR trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · February 2025 AIMS: In the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial, the soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator vericiguat reduced the risk of hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) or cardiovascular death in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Artificial Intelligence in Cardiovascular Clinical Trials.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · November 12, 2024 Randomized clinical trials are the gold standard for establishing the efficacy and safety of cardiovascular therapies. However, current pivotal trials are expensive, lengthy, and insufficiently diverse. Emerging artificial intelligence (AI) technologies ca ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure Drug Development Over the Eras: From the Heart Failure Collaboratory.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2024 Over the past decade, the field of heart failure (HF) has witnessed remarkable progress in drug development, resulting in the approval of numerous groundbreaking drugs by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To address some of these challenges, the U.S. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optimal Medical Therapy and Outcomes Among Patients With Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2024 BACKGROUND: Optimal medical therapy (OMT) scoring may stratify clinical risk in real-world chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) by integrating use and dosing of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) for HFrEF. OBJECTIVES: The pu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarker profiles associated with reverse ventricular remodelling in patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction: Insights from the echocardiographic substudy of the VICTORIA trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · October 2024 AIMS: Reverse ventricular remodelling, defined as a decrease in left ventricular end-systolic volume indexed to body surface area (LVESVI) or an increase in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), is associated with improved clinical outcomes in patient ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of the Hemocompatibility of the Direct Oral Anticoagulant Apixaban in Left Ventricular Assist Devices: The DOAC LVAD Study.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · September 2024 BACKGROUND: Patients receiving left ventricular assist device (LVAD) support require long-term anticoagulation to reduce the risk of thromboembolic complications. Apixaban is a direct oral anticoagulant that has become first-line therapy; however, its safe ... Full text Link to item Cite

Training the Next Generation of Data Monitoring Committee Members: An Initiative of the Heart Failure Collaboratory.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2024 Clinical trials are vital for assessing therapeutic interventions. The associated data monitoring committees (DMCs) safeguard patient interests and enhance trial integrity, thus promoting timely, reliable evaluations of those interventions. We face an urge ... Full text Link to item Cite

Novel Initiative Increasing GDMT Use Among Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2024 Guideline-directed medical therapy utilization in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains low despite benefits in morbidity and mortality. The authors describe a unique quality improvement initiative designed to increase ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Trial Inclusion and Impact on Early Adoption of Medical Innovation in Diverse Populations.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2024 BACKGROUND: Inadequate inclusion in clinical trial enrollment may contribute to health inequities by evaluating interventions in cohorts that do not fully represent target populations. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine if characteristics o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design and Rationale for the Direct Oral Anticoagulant Apixaban in Left Ventricular Assist Devices (DOAC LVAD) Study.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2024 Implantable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy is used to improve quality of life, alleviate symptoms and extend survival rates in patients with advanced heart failure. Patients with LVADs require chronic anticoagulation to reduce the risk of th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of win time for ordered composite endpoints in clinical trials.

Journal Article Stat Med · May 10, 2024 Consider the choice of outcome for overall treatment benefit in a clinical trial which measures the first time to each of several clinical events. We describe several new variants of the win ratio that incorporate the time spent in each clinical state over ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recurrent Hospitalizations and Response to Vericiguat in Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2024 BACKGROUND: In VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction), vericiguat compared with placebo reduced cardiovascular death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization in patients with HF with reduced ejection f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utilizing Quality of Life Adjusted Days Alive and Out of Hospital in Heart Failure Clinical Trials.

Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · May 2024 BACKGROUND: In heart failure (HF) trials, there has been an emphasis on utilizing more patient-centered outcomes, including quality of life (QoL) and days alive and out of hospital. We aimed to explore the impact of QoL adjusted days alive and out of hospi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction and the Future of Heart Failure Phenotyping.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2024 Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome traditionally classified by left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) cutpoints. Although LVEF is prognostic for risk of events and predictive of response to some HF therapies, LVEF is a continuous variable and cutp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Impact of Repeated NT-proBNP Measurements in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2024 BACKGROUND: Although clinical studies have demonstrated the association between a single N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measurement and clinical outcomes in chronic heart failure, the biomarker is frequently measured serially in clin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diuretic use and outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Insights from the VICTORIA trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2024 AIMS: In VICTORIA, vericiguat compared with placebo reduced the risk of cardiovascular death (CVD) and heart failure hospitalization (HFH) in patients enrolled after a worsening heart failure (WHF) event. We examined clinical outcomes and efficacy of veric ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of vasodilators on diuretic response in patients with congestive heart failure: A mechanistic trial of cimlanod (BMS-986231).

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2024 AIM: To investigate the effects of Cimlanod, a nitroxyl donor with vasodilator properties, on water and salt excretion after an administration of an intravenos bolus of furosemide. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this randomized, double-blind, mechanistic, crossov ... Full text Link to item Cite

Standardized Definitions for Evaluation of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Therapies: HF-ARC Expert Panel Paper.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2024 Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is one of the most common reasons for hospitalizations or urgent care and is associated with poor outcomes. Therapies shown to improve outcomes are limited, however, and innovation in pharmacologic and device-based ... Full text Link to item Cite

Polypharmacy and Optimization of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy in Heart Failure: The GUIDE-IT Trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2023 BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy is common among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, its impact on the use of optimal guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is not well established. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evalu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cost-Effectiveness of Vericiguat in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The VICTORIA Randomized Clinical Trial.

Conference Circulation · October 3, 2023 BACKGROUND: The VICTORIA trial (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction) demonstrated that, in patients with high-risk heart failure, vericiguat reduced the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death or ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evolution of NT-proBNP During Prerandomization Screening in VICTORIA: Implications for Clinical Outcomes and Efficacy of Vericiguat.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · October 2023 BACKGROUND: Selecting high-risk patients with heart failure with potentially modifiable cardiovascular events is a priority. Our objective was to evaluate NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide) changes during a 30-day screening to establish ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between baseline electrocardiographic measurements and outcomes in patients with high-risk heart failure: Insights from the VerICiguaT Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (VICTORIA) trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · October 2023 AIMS: Whether electrocardiographic (ECG) measurements predict mortality in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 4880 patients from the Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Background Medical Therapy and Clinical Outcomes From the VICTORIA Trial.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · September 2023 BACKGROUND: We examined whether the primary composite outcome (cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalization) was related to differences in background use and dosing of guideline-directed medical therapy in patients with heart failure with reduced ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex-Related Differences in Patient Characteristics, Hemodynamics, and Outcomes of Cardiogenic Shock: INOVA-SHOCK Registry

Journal Article Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions · September 1, 2023 Background: Little is known about sex-related differences in outcomes of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) treated within a standardized team-based approach (STBA). Methods: We evaluated 520 consecutive patients (151 women and 369 men) with CS due to ac ... Full text Cite

Classification of Heart Failure Events by Severity: Insights From the VICTORIA Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 2023 BACKGROUND: Hospitalization due to heart failure (HFH) is a major source of morbidity, consumes significant economic resources and is a key endpoint in HF clinical trials. HFH events vary in severity and implications, but they are typically considered equi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of vericiguat on left ventricular structure and function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: The VICTORIA echocardiographic substudy.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · July 2023 AIM: Vericiguat significantly reduced the primary composite outcome of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or cardiovascular death in the VICTORIA trial. It is unknown if these outcome benefits are related to reverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling with v ... Full text Link to item Cite

Circulating Angiokines Are Associated With Reverse Remodeling and Outcomes in Chronic Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2023 BACKGROUND: We sought to determine whether circulating modifiers of endothelial function are associated with cardiac structure and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). METHODS: We measured 25 proteins rel ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Predictors of Adherence to Exercise Training Among Individuals With Heart Failure: THE HF-ACTION STUDY.

Journal Article J Cardiopulm Rehabil Prev · May 1, 2023 PURPOSE: Suboptimal adherence is a major limitation to achieving the benefits of exercise interventions, and our ability to predict and improve adherence is limited. The purpose of this analysis was to identify baseline clinical and demographic characteris ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Ejection Fraction, Biomarkers, and Outcomes and Impact of Vericiguat on Outcomes Across EF in VICTORIA.

Journal Article JACC. Heart failure · May 2023 BackgroundVericiguat reduced the risk of cardiovascular death (CVD) or hospitalization for heart failure (HF) in patients with worsening HF and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).ObjectivesThe authors assessed the associati ... Full text Cite

Assessment of Biomarkers of Myocardial injury, Inflammation, and Renal Function in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The VICTORIA Biomarker Substudy.

Journal Article J Card Fail · April 2023 BACKGROUND: Circulating biomarkers may be useful in understanding prognosis and treatment efficacy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. In the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) tria ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Composite Score Summarizing Use and Dosing of Evidence-Based Medical Therapies in Heart Failure: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

Conference Circ Heart Fail · February 2023 BACKGROUND: As heart failure therapeutic care becomes increasingly complex, a composite medical therapy score could be useful to conveniently summarize background medical therapy. We applied the composite medical therapy score developed by the Heart Failur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optimal medical therapy with or without surgical revascularization and long-term outcomes in ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Journal Article J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · December 2022 OBJECTIVES: Optimal medical therapy in patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease is associated with improved outcomes. However, whether this association is influenced by the performance of coronary artery bypass grafting is less well establis ... Full text Link to item Cite

Functional and Symptomatic Clinical Trial Endpoints: The HFC-ARC Scientific Expert Panel.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2022 The Heart Failure Academic Research Consortium is a partnership between the Heart Failure Collaboratory (HFC) and the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) composed of patients, academic investigators from the United States and Europe, the U.S. Food and Drug ... Full text Link to item Cite

Soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction across the risk spectrum.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · November 2022 Patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have a high residual risk of adverse outcomes, even when treated with optimal guideline-directed medical therapy and in a clinically stable state. Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Standardized and Regionalized Network of Care for Cardiogenic Shock.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2022 BACKGROUND: The benefits of standardized care for cardiogenic shock (CS) across regional care networks are poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: The authors compared the management and outcomes of CS patients initially presenting to hub versus spoke hospitals wit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Titration of medical therapy and clinical outcomes among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Findings from the HF-ACTION trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2022 BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend titration of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and beta-blockers among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) to maximally tolerated doses. Patient characteristics associat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Efficacy and safety of vericiguat in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction treated with sacubitril/valsartan: insights from the VICTORIA trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · September 2022 AIM: We assessed a subset of the 5040 patients in VICTORIA receiving sacubitril/valsartan, either at randomization (n = 731) or post-randomization drop-in use (n = 425), to evaluate the relationship between the efficacy and safety of combination therapy wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sequential Evaluation of NT-proBNP in Heart Failure: Insights Into Clinical Outcomes and Efficacy of Vericiguat.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · September 2022 BACKGROUND: The effect of vericiguat on sequential N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels and influence of this relationship on clinical outcomes is unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the relationship between changes in NT-proBN ... Full text Link to item Cite

Frailty Status Modifies the Efficacy of Exercise Training Among Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction: An Analysis From the HF-ACTION Trial.

Journal Article Circulation · July 12, 2022 BACKGROUND: Supervised aerobic exercise training (ET) is recommended for stable outpatients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Frailty, a syndrome characterized by increased vulnerability and decreased physiologic reserve, is c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Medical Therapy During Hospitalization for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The VICTORIA Registry.

Journal Article J Card Fail · July 2022 BACKGROUND: For patients hospitalized for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), guidelines recommend optimization of medical therapy prior to discharge. The degree to which changes in medical therapy occur during hospitalizations for HFrEF ... Full text Link to item Cite

Thank You for the Privilege.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · June 2022 Full text Link to item Cite

Vericiguat and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: Insights From the VICTORIA Trial.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · June 2022 BACKGROUND: We examined the effects of vericiguat compared with placebo in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction enrolled in VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction) on health sta ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiogenic Shock From Heart Failure Versus Acute Myocardial Infarction: Clinical Characteristics, Hospital Course, and 1-Year Outcomes.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · June 2022 BACKGROUND: Little is known about clinical characteristics, hospital course, and longitudinal outcomes of patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) related to heart failure (HF-CS) compared to acute myocardial infarction (AMI; CS related to AMI [AMI-CS]). METHO ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vericiguat in patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · May 2022 AIMS: Coronary artery disease (CAD) portends worse outcomes in heart failure (HF). We aimed to characterize patients with CAD and worsening HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and evaluate post hoc whether vericiguat treatment effect varied according ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving Enrollment of Underrepresented Racial and Ethnic Populations in Heart Failure Trials: A Call to Action From the Heart Failure Collaboratory.

Journal Article JAMA Cardiol · May 1, 2022 IMPORTANCE: Despite bearing a disproportionate burden of heart failure (HF), Black and Hispanic individuals have been poorly represented in HF clinical trials. Underrepresentation in clinical trials limits the generalizability of the findings to these popu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Editorial Regrets and Opportunities: JACC: Heart Failure

Journal Article Jacc Heart Failure · May 1, 2022 Full text Cite

Spirituality in Patients With Heart Failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2022 With advances in heart failure (HF) treatment, patients are living longer, putting further emphasis on quality of life (QOL) and the role of palliative care principles in their care. Spirituality is a core domain of palliative care, best defined as a dynam ... Full text Link to item Cite

Editorial Privilege.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2022 Full text Link to item Cite

Proteomic differences among patients with heart failure taking furosemide or torsemide.

Journal Article Clin Cardiol · March 2022 BACKGROUND: Loop diuretics are commonly used for patients with heart failure (HF) but it remains unknown if one loop diuretic is clinically superior. HYPOTHESIS: Biomarkers and proteomics provide insight to how different loop diuretics may differentially a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implementation Noise.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2022 Full text Link to item Cite

Optimal Background Pharmacological Therapy for Heart Failure Patients in Clinical Trials: JACC Review Topic of the Week.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · February 8, 2022 With the current landscape of approved therapies for heart failure (HF), there is a need to determine the role of a standard background therapy against which novel therapies are studied. The Heart Failure Collaboratory convened a multistakeholder group of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interventions for Frailty Among Older Adults With Cardiovascular Disease: JACC State-of-the-Art Review.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · February 8, 2022 With the aging of the world's population, a large proportion of patients seen in cardiovascular practice are older adults, but many patients also exhibit signs of physical frailty. Cardiovascular disease and frailty are interdependent and have the same phy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Polypharmacy in Palliative Care for Advanced Heart Failure: The PAL-HF Experience.

Journal Article J Card Fail · February 2022 BACKGROUND: Palliative care (PC) in advanced heart failure (HF) aims to improve symptoms and quality of life (QOL), in part through medication management. The impact of PC on polypharmacy (>5 medications) remains unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We explored p ... Full text Link to item Cite

The influence of comorbidities on achieving an N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide target: a secondary analysis of the GUIDE-IT trial.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · February 2022 AIMS: N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) values may be influenced by patient factors beyond the severity of illness, including atrial fibrillation (AF), renal dysfunction, or increased body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that these fa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Race Differences in Quality of Life following a Palliative Care Intervention in Patients with Advanced Heart Failure: Insights from the Palliative Care in Heart Failure Trial.

Journal Article J Palliat Med · February 2022 Introduction: Black patients have a higher incidence of heart failure (HF) and worse outcomes than white patients. Guidelines recommend palliative care for patients with advanced HF, but no studies have examined outcomes in a black patient cohort. Methods: ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dose-limiting, adverse event-associated bradycardia with β-blocker treatment of atrial fibrillation in the GENETIC-AF trial.

Journal Article Heart Rhythm O2 · February 2022 BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) often have conduction system disorders, which may be worsened by β-blocker therapy. OBJECTIVE: In a post hoc analysis we examined the prevalence of bradycardia and its association with a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cost and Value in Contemporary Heart Failure Clinical Guidance Documents.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2022 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the frequency and nature of cost/value statements in contemporary heart failure (HF) clinical guidance documents (CGDs). BACKGROUND: In an era of rising health care costs and expanding therapeutic options, there is ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessing race and ethnicity differences in outcomes based on GDMT and target NT-proBNP in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: An analysis of the GUIDE-IT study.

Journal Article Prog Cardiovasc Dis · 2022 BACKGROUND: The GUIDE-IT trial was, a multicenter, randomized, parallel group, unblinded study that randomized patients to having heart failure therapy titrated to achieve an NT-proBNP <1000 pg/mL or to usual clinical care. METHODS AND RESULTS: We performe ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Digital Future Is Now.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2022 Full text Link to item Cite

The Impact of Depression on Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction Treated in the GUIDE-IT Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · December 2021 BACKGROUND: It remains unclear why depression is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). We examine the relationship between depression and clinical outcomes among patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction managed with g ... Full text Link to item Cite

Advanced Heart Failure: Progress and Disappointments

Journal Article Jacc Heart Failure · December 1, 2021 Full text Cite

Hemoglobin and Clinical Outcomes in the Vericiguat Global Study in Patients With Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction (VICTORIA).

Journal Article Circulation · November 2, 2021 BACKGROUND: In the VICTORIA trial (Vericiguat Global Study in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction), anemia occurred more often in patients treated with vericiguat (7.6%) than with placebo (5.7%). We explored the association between v ... Full text Link to item Cite

Survival in Patients With Nonischemic Cardiomyopathy With Preserved vs Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article CJC Open · November 2021 BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest similar long-term mortality rates for patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) vs reduced ejection fraction. However, although coronary heart disease (CHD) is associated with worse prognosi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rehabilitation Intervention in Older Patients With Acute Heart Failure With Preserved Versus Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2021 OBJECTIVES: This study assessed for treatment interactions by ejection fraction (EF) subgroup (≥45% [heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF); vs <45% [heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF)]). BACKGROUND: The REHAB-HF trial sho ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Early diuretic strategies and the association with In-hospital and Post-discharge outcomes in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2021 BACKGROUND: Decongestion is a primary goal during hospitalizations for decompensated heart failure (HF). However, data surrounding the preferred route and strategy of diuretic administration are limited with varying results in prior studies. METHODS: This ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of Actigraphy (Wearable Digital Sensors to Monitor Activity) in Heart Failure Randomized Clinical Trials: A Scoping Review.

Journal Article Can J Cardiol · September 2021 BACKGROUND: Actigraphy-based measurements of physiologic parameters may enable design of patient-centric heart failure (HF) clinical trials. Recently, the Heart Failure Collaboratory focused on recommendations for meaningful change and use of actigraphy as ... Full text Link to item Cite

Participation in a Heart Failure Clinical Trial: Perspectives and Opportunities From the VICTORIA Trial and VICTORIA Simultaneous Registry.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · September 2021 BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) often target enrollment of patients with demographics and outcomes less representative of the broader population of interest. To provide context for the VICTORIA trial (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects Wit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Myocarditis Temporally Associated With COVID-19 Vaccination.

Journal Article Circulation · August 10, 2021 Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Renal function and the effects of vericiguat in patients with worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: insights from the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with HFrEF) trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2021 AIMS: Vericiguat reduced the primary composite outcome of cardiovascular death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization in patients with worsening HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and a lower limit of baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eG ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vericiguat in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: insights from the VICTORIA trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2021 AIMS: We evaluated the relation between baseline and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and outcomes, and assessed whether vericiguat modified the likelihood of new-onset AF in patients with worsening heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction in VI ... Full text Link to item Cite

Empower the Future… Even Oprah Had a Mentor!

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2021 Full text Link to item Cite

Physical Rehabilitation for Older Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · July 15, 2021 BACKGROUND: Older patients who are hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure have high rates of physical frailty, poor quality of life, delayed recovery, and frequent rehospitalizations. Interventions to address physical frailty in this population ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Additive Prognostic Value of Serial Plasma Interleukin-6 Levels over Changes in Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · July 2021 BACKGROUND: Elevated plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentrations are frequently observed in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). However, the predictive value of serial IL-6 measurements beyond brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) remains poorly characterize ... Full text Link to item Cite

Haemodynamic effects of the nitroxyl donor cimlanod (BMS-986231) in chronic heart failure: a randomized trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · July 2021 AIMS: Nitroxyl provokes vasodilatation and inotropic and lusitropic effects in animals via post-translational modification of thiols. We aimed to compare effects of the nitroxyl donor cimlanod (BMS-986231) with those of nitroglycerin (NTG) or placebo on ca ... Full text Link to item Cite

Intercountry Differences in Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy and Outcomes Among Patients With Heart Failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2021 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine patterns of care and clinical outcomes among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the United States and Canada. BACKGROUND: In the GUIDE-IT (Guiding Evidence Based Therapy Us ... Full text Link to item Cite

Function Follows Form.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2021 Full text Link to item Cite

Change Is the Only Constant in Heart Failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2021 Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Outcome Predictions for the VerICiguaT Global Study in Subjects With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (VICTORIA) Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 24, 2021 BACKGROUND: The prediction of outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) may inform prognosis, clinical decisions regarding treatment selection, and new trial planning. The VerICiguaT Global Study in Subjects With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Frac ... Full text Link to item Cite

Transradial access in acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock: Stratified analysis by shock severity.

Journal Article Catheter Cardiovasc Interv · June 1, 2021 BACKGROUND: Transradial access (TRA) is associated with improved survival and reduced vascular complications in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Limited data exist regarding TRA utilization and outcomes for AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS). We s ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Outcomes and Response to Vericiguat According to Index Heart Failure Event: Insights From the VICTORIA Trial.

Journal Article JAMA Cardiol · June 1, 2021 IMPORTANCE: The period following heart failure hospitalization (HFH) is a vulnerable time with high rates of death or recurrent HFH. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical characteristics, outcomes, and treatment response to vericiguat according to prespecified i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interleukin-6 and Outcomes in Acute Heart Failure: An ASCEND-HF Substudy.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2021 BACKGROUND: The inflammatory cytokine IL-6 has been previously implicated in the pathophysiology of acute decompensated heart failure (HF). Prior observations in acute HF patients have suggested that IL-6 may be associated with outcomes and modulated by ne ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does study subject diversity influence cardiology research site performance?: Insights from 2 U.S. National Coronary Stent Registries.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2021 BACKGROUND: Minorities and women are underrepresented in cardiovascular research. Whether their higher enrollment can be predicted or influences research site performance is unclear. METHODS: We evaluated 104 sites that enrolled 4,184 patients in the U.S. ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Cost-Effectiveness of Palliative Care: Insights from the PAL-HF Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2021 BACKGROUND: In a randomized control trial, Palliative Care in Heart Failure (PAL-HF) improved heart failure-related quality of life, though cost-effectiveness remains unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the PAL-HF trial ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex Differences in Clinical Course and Patient-Reported Outcomes Among Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2021 OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate differences in clinical and patient-reported outcomes between women and men hospitalized for acute HF. BACKGROUND: Among patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF), it is unclear if symptom burden, respo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Role of Prior Heart Failure Hospitalization Among Patients Hospitalized for Worsening Chronic Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · April 2021 BACKGROUND: Hospitalization for heart failure (HF) is associated with increased risk of death among patients with chronic HF. The degree to which hospitalization for HF is a distinct biologic entity with independent prognostic value versus a marker of high ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of Atrial Fibrillation on Heart Failure Outcomes and NT-proBNP Levels in the GUIDE-IT Trial.

Journal Article Mayo Clin Proc Innov Qual Outcomes · April 2021 OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of atrial fibrillation (AF) on cardiac biomarkers and outcomes in a trial population of patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction treated with optimal guideline-directed medical therapy. METHODS: We perf ... Full text Link to item Cite

Plasma Volume Status and Its Association With In-Hospital and Postdischarge Outcomes in Decompensated Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2021 BACKGROUND: Prior analyses suggest an association between formula-based plasma volume (PV) estimates and outcomes in heart failure (HF). We assessed the association between estimated PV status by the Duarte-ePV and Kaplan Hakim (KH-ePVS) formulas, and in-h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Beta-blocker and ACE-inhibitor dosing as a function of body surface area: From the HF-ACTION trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2021 Recognizing that body surface area (BSA) is a commonly used metric to inform medication dosing across fields of medicine, it is possible that patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) with higher BSA may be more likely to tolerate ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reviewers Hall of Fame: 2020 Top Reviewers.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2021 Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of a Novel Nitroxyl Donor in Acute Heart Failure: The STAND-UP AHF Study.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2021 OBJECTIVES: The primary objective was to identify well-tolerated doses of cimlanod in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Secondary objectives were to identify signals of efficacy, including biomarkers, symptoms, and clinical events. BACKGROUND: Nitro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment of HF in an Era of Multiple Therapies: Statement From the HF Collaboratory.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2021 The treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) has changed considerably over time, particularly with the sequential development of therapies aimed at antagonism of maladaptive biologic pathways, including inhibition of the sympatheti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geographical affiliation with top 10 NIH-funded academic medical centers and differences between mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 2020 Community engagement and rapid translation of findings for the benefit of patients has been noted as a major criterion for NIH decisions regarding allocation of funds for research priorities. We aimed to examine whether the presence of top NIH-funded insti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Polygenic Score for β-Blocker Survival Benefit in European Ancestry Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · December 2020 BACKGROUND: β-Blockers (BBs) are mainstay therapy for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. However, individual patient responses to BB vary, which may be partially due to genetic variation. The goal of this study was to derive and validate the fir ... Full text Link to item Cite

Standardized definitions for evaluation of heart failure therapies: scientific expert panel from the Heart Failure Collaboratory and Academic Research Consortium.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2020 The Heart Failure Academic Research Consortium is a partnership between the Heart Failure Collaboratory (HFC) and Academic Research Consortium (ARC), comprised of leading heart failure (HF) academic research investigators, patients, United States (US) Food ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utility of Restricted Mean Survival Time Analysis for Heart Failure Clinical Trial Evaluation and Interpretation.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2020 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to demonstrate the statistical and utilitarian properties of restricted mean survival time (RMST) and restricted mean time lost (RMTL) for assessing treatments for heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction. BACKGROUND: ... Full text Link to item Cite

Conduct of Clinical Trials in the Era of COVID-19: JACC Scientific Expert Panel.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · November 17, 2020 The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has profoundly changed clinical care and research, including the conduct of clinical trials, and the clinical research ecosystem will need to adapt to this transformed environment. The Heart Failure Academic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and heart failure: the lonely comorbidity.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · November 2020 Depression is a frequent and debilitating comorbidity that affects heart failure (HF) patients. Up to 30% of HF patients suffer from depression and even more have depressive symptoms. Moreover, depression carries a risk for HF, especially in high-risk grou ... Full text Link to item Cite

N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Clinical Outcomes: Vericiguat Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction Study.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2020 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the treatment effect of vericiguat in relation to N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels at randomization. BACKGROUND: Vericiguat compared with placebo reduced the primary outcome o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of Vericiguat vs Placebo on Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction: The VITALITY-HFpEF Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal Article JAMA · October 20, 2020 IMPORTANCE: Patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are at high risk of mortality, hospitalizations, and reduced functional capacity and quality of life. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of the oral soluble guanylate cyclase st ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment with 24 hour istaroxime infusion in patients hospitalised for acute heart failure: a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · September 2020 AIM: Istaroxime is a first-in-class agent which acts through inhibition of the sarcolemmal Na+ /K+ pump and activation of the SERCA2a pump. This study assessed the effects of a 24 h infusion of istaroxime in patients hospitalised for acute heart failure (A ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Journey of an American Black Cardiologist.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · September 2020 Full text Link to item Cite

Challenges and Potential Improvements to Patient Access to Pharmaceuticals: Examples From Cardiology.

Journal Article Circulation · August 25, 2020 Patient access to a drug after US regulatory approval is controlled by complex interactions between governmental and third-party payers, pharmacy benefit managers, distributers, manufacturers, health systems, and pharmacies that together mediate the receip ... Full text Link to item Cite

Representation of Women Authors in International Heart Failure Guidelines and Contemporary Clinical Trials.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · August 2020 BACKGROUND: Gender disparities in authorship of heart failure (HF) guideline citations and clinical trials have not been examined. METHODS: We identified authors of publications referenced in Class I Recommendations in United States (n=173) and European (n ... Full text Link to item Cite

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in Low-Population Density Areas: Assessing Healthcare Access for Older Adults With Severe Aortic Stenosis.

Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · August 2020 BACKGROUND: Restricting transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) to centers based on volume thresholds alone can potentially create unintended disparities in healthcare access. We aimed to compare the influence of population density in state of Florid ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessment of Limitations to Optimization of Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy in Heart Failure From the GUIDE-IT Trial: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal Article JAMA Cardiol · July 1, 2020 IMPORTANCE: Despite evidence that guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) improves outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction, many patients are undertreated. The Guiding Evidence-Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified ... Full text Link to item Cite

COVID-19 Fatigue: Not So Fast.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2020 Full text Link to item Cite

Publication Rates of Heart Failure Clinical Trials Remain Low.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 30, 2020 BACKGROUND: Under-reporting of clinical trial results inhibits dissemination of knowledge, limits understanding of therapeutic interventions, and may ultimately harm patients. OBJECTIVES: This study examined the rates and predictors of heart failure clinic ... Full text Link to item Cite

The burden of non-cardiac comorbidities and association with clinical outcomes in an acute heart failure trial - insights from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2020 AIMS: Non-cardiac comorbidities are highly prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF). Our objective was to define the association between non-cardiac comorbidity burden and clinical outcomes, costs of care, and length of stay within a large randomized ... Full text Link to item Cite

Endpoints in Heart Failure Drug Development: History and Future.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · June 2020 Heart failure (HF) patients experience a high burden of symptoms and functional limitations, and morbidity and mortality remain high despite successful therapies. The majority of HF drugs in the United States are approved for reducing hospitalization and m ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sarcopenia and health-related quality of life in older adults after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2020 BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle wasting, or sarcopenia, affects a significant proportion of patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). However, its influence on post-TAVR recovery and 1-year health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) remai ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vericiguat in Patients with Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · May 14, 2020 BACKGROUND: The effect of vericiguat, a novel oral soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator, in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction who had recently been hospitalized or had received intravenous diuretic therapy is unclear. METHODS: In th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Novel approaches to the management of chronic systolic heart failure: future directions and unanswered questions.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · May 7, 2020 Despite improvements in outcomes in the last few decades for heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), there still remains a need for novel therapies as many patients incompletely recover with existing therapies and progress to advanced HF ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of Elamipretide on Left Ventricular Function in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: The PROGRESS-HF Phase 2 Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · May 2020 BACKGROUND: Elamipretide, a novel mitochondrial modulating agent, improves myocardial energetics; however, it is unknown whether this mechanistic benefit translates into improved cardiac structure and function in heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Natriuretic Peptides as Inclusion Criteria in Clinical Trials: A JACC: Heart Failure Position Paper.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2020 This study investigated the use of natriuretic peptides as inclusion criteria and to develop recommendations regarding their use. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) are commonly used as inclusion crit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical value of pre-discharge bio-adrenomedullin as a marker of residual congestion and high risk of heart failure hospital readmission.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · April 2020 AIMS: Recently, bio-adrenomedullin (bio-ADM) was proposed as a congestion marker in heart failure (HF). In the present study, we aimed to study whether bio-ADM levels at discharge from a hospital admission for worsening HF could provide additional informat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Modeling defibrillation benefit for survival among cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator recipients.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2020 BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure having a low expected probability of arrhythmic death may not benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). OBJECTIVE: The objective was to validate models to identify cardiac resynchronization therapy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex Differences in Quality of Life and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Advanced Heart Failure: Insights From the PAL-HF Trial.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · April 2020 BACKGROUND: Palliative care improves quality of life in patients with heart failure. Whether men and women with heart failure derive similar benefit from palliative care interventions remains unknown. METHODS: In a secondary analysis of the PAL-HF trial (P ... Full text Link to item Cite

Suicide in HF Patients: A Call for Recognition.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2020 Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of baseline covariate imbalance on bias in treatment effect estimation in cluster randomized trials: Race as an example.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · January 2020 Individual-level baseline covariate imbalance could happen more frequently in cluster randomized trials, and may influence the observed treatment effect. Using computer and real-data simulations, this paper quantifies the extent and impact of covariate imb ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program: Nationwide Perspectives and Recommendations: A JACC: Heart Failure Position Paper.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2020 The mandatory federal pay-for-performance Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was created to decrease 30-day hospital readmissions by instituting accountability and stimulating quality care and coordination, particularly during care transitions. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure End Points in Cardiovascular Outcome Trials of Sodium Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Critical Evaluation of Clinical and Regulatory Issues.

Journal Article Circulation · December 17, 2019 Following regulatory guidance set forth in 2008 by the US Food and Drug Administration for new drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus, many large randomized, controlled trials have been conducted with the primary goal of assessing the safety of antihyperglycem ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Implications of the New York Heart Association Classification.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · December 3, 2019 Background The New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification has served as a fundamental tool for risk stratification of heart failure (HF) and determines clinical trial eligibility and candidacy for drugs and devices. However, its ability to adequately ... Full text Link to item Cite

Percutaneous coronary intervention outcomes in patients with stable coronary disease and left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Journal Article ESC Heart Fail · December 2019 AIMS: We sought to better understand the role of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) and moderate or severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data from the Duke Data ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Impact of Age on Comorbidities and Outcomes in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2019 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine whether age modifies the impact of key comorbidities on clinical outcomes for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). BACKGROUND: Comorbidities impact outcomes in HFrEF. However, the ef ... Full text Link to item Cite

Baseline features of the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Subjects with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2019 AIM: Describe the distinguishing features of heart failure (HF) patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in the VICTORIA (Vericiguat Global Study in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction) trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: Key backgrou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trajectories of Changes in Renal Function in Patients with Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · November 2019 BACKGROUND: Changes in renal function have been associated with differential outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (HF). However, individual trajectories of changes in renal function are unknown, and it is unclear whether they relate to different c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design of a "Lean" Case Report Form for Heart Failure Therapeutic Development.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2019 The development of treatments for heart failure (HF) is challenged by burdensome clinical trials. Reducing the need for extensive data collection and increasing opportunities for data compatibility between trials may improve efficiency and reduce resource ... Full text Link to item Cite

Representativeness of a Heart Failure Trial by Race and Sex: Results From ASCEND-HF and GWTG-HF.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2019 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the degree to which U.S. patients enrolled in a heart failure (HF) trial represent patients in routine U.S. clinical practice according to race and sex. BACKGROUND: Black patients and women are frequently under-re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hyperkalemia and Treatment With RAAS Inhibitors During Acute Heart Failure Hospitalizations and Their Association With Mortality.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2019 OBJECTIVES: This study investigated associations between incident hyperkalemia during acute heart failure (HF) hospitalizations and changes in renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors. BACKGROUND: Hyperkalemia is a potential complication of R ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Call for Change: Level of Statistical Significance.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2019 Full text Link to item Cite

After Action Reviews.

Journal Article J Invasive Cardiol · November 2019 Link to item Cite

Natriuretic Peptide Response and Outcomes in Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · September 3, 2019 BACKGROUND: The GUIDE-IT (GUIDing Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment in Heart Failure) trial demonstrated that a strategy to "guide" application of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) by reducing amino-terminal pro-B-type na ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Implications of Changes in Amino-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Insights From ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article J Card Fail · September 2019 BACKGROUND: Amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) is closely associated with prognosis in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). As a result, there has been great interest measuring it during the course of treatment. The prognostic im ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure Physician Burnout: How Can We Help?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · September 2019 Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale and design for the development of a novel nitroxyl donor in patients with acute heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2019 Hospitalisation for acute heart failure remains a major public health problem with high prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and cost. Prior attempts to develop new therapies for this condition have not been successful. Nitroxyl (HNO) plays a unique role in c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Why Should We Publish All Clinical Trials?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2019 Full text Link to item Cite

N-of-1 Clinical Trials.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2019 Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical factors related to morbidity and mortality in high-risk heart failure patients: the GUIDE-IT predictive model and risk score.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2019 BACKGROUND: Most heart failure (HF) risk scores have been derived from cohorts of stable HF patients and may not incorporate up to date treatment regimens or deep phenotype characterization that change baseline risk over the short- and long-term follow-up ... Full text Link to item Cite

The modifying effects of social support on psychological outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Health Psychol · June 2019 OBJECTIVE: We examined the modifying effects of social support on depressive symptoms and health-related quality of life (QoL) in patients receiving coping skills training (CST). METHOD: We considered the modifying effects of social support in the Coping E ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure Site-Based Research in the United States: Results of the Heart Failure Society of America Research Network Survey.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2019 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine clinician and scientist involvement in heart failure (HF) clinical research and to describe the challenges of conducting clinical trials in the United States. BACKGROUND: Improvements in the current capability, po ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale and Design of the VITALITY-HFpEF Trial.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · May 2019 Background The VITALITY-HFpEF trial (Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of the Oral sGC Stimulator Vericiguat to Improve Physical Functioning in Daily Living Activities of Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction) is designed to determine ... Full text Link to item Cite

Standardized Team-Based Care for Cardiogenic Shock.

Conference J Am Coll Cardiol · April 9, 2019 BACKGROUND: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a multifactorial, hemodynamically complex syndrome associated with high mortality. Despite advances in reperfusion and mechanical circulatory support, management remains highly variable and outcomes poor. OBJECTIVES: T ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of Exercise Rehabilitation on Exercise Capacity and Quality-of-Life in Heart Failure: Individual Participant Meta-Analysis.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 2, 2019 BACKGROUND: Previous systematic reviews have indicated that exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ExCR) for patients with heart failure (HF) has a beneficial effect on health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and exercise capacity. However, there is uncerta ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure in Women.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2019 Full text Link to item Cite

NT-proBNP Goal Achievement Is Associated With Significant Reverse Remodeling and Improved Clinical Outcomes in HFrEF.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2019 OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the association between biomarker-guided therapy and left ventricular (LV) remodeling. BACKGROUND: In patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), it is unclear if lowering natriuretic peptides r ... Full text Link to item Cite

Recognizing Heart Failure Awareness Week.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2019 Full text Link to item Cite

Adaptive servo-ventilation reduces atrial fibrillation burden in patients with heart failure and sleep apnea.

Journal Article Heart Rhythm · January 2019 BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure and sleep apnea are at increased risk for developing arrhythmias. Whether treatment of sleep apnea reduces arrhythmias is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine whether adaptive servo-ventilat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between changing patient-reported outcomes and subsequent clinical events in patients with chronic heart failure: insights from HF-ACTION.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2019 AIMS: A 5-point change in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) is commonly considered to be a clinically significant difference in health status in patients with heart failure. We evaluated how the magnitude of change relates to subsequent c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design and rationale of the B-lines lung ultrasound guided emergency department management of acute heart failure (BLUSHED-AHF) pilot trial.

Journal Article Heart Lung · 2019 BACKGROUND: Medical treatment for acute heart failure (AHF) has not changed substantially over the last four decades. Emergency department (ED)-based evidence for treatment is limited. Outcomes remain poor, with a 25% mortality or re-admission rate within ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation in patients with heart failure (ExTraMATCH II) on mortality and hospitalisation: an individual patient data meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2018 AIMS: To undertake an individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis to assess the impact of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (ExCR) in patients with heart failure (HF) on mortality and hospitalisation, and differential effects of ExCR according to patie ... Full text Link to item Cite

Economic and Quality-of-Life Outcomes of Natriuretic Peptide-Guided Therapy for Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · November 27, 2018 BACKGROUND: The GUIDE-IT (GUIDing Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment in Heart Failure) trial prospectively compared the efficacy of an N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)-guided heart failure treatment strategy ( ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of Volume Overload to Clinical Outcomes in Acute Heart Failure (From ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · November 1, 2018 We aimed to study whether jugular venous distension (JVD) and peripheral edema were associated with worse outcomes in patients with acute heart failure in the Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure trial. Of 7,14 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Loop diuretic adjustments in patients with chronic heart failure: Insights from HF-ACTION.

Journal Article Am Heart J · November 2018 BACKGROUND: The relationship between diuretic use or change in diuretic use and outcomes in chronic heart failure (HF) remains poorly defined. We evaluated the association between diuretic use and changes in health status, exercise capacity, and clinical e ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Critical Appraisal of Short-Term End Points in Acute Heart Failure Clinical Trials.

Journal Article J Card Fail · November 2018 The prevalence of heart failure continues to grow, and this is accompanied by an increase in hospitalization for acute heart failure. Hospitalization for heart failure results in a trajectory shift of the syndrome and is associated with worsening outcomes, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Long-Chain Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplements in Depressed Heart Failure Patients: Results of the OCEAN Trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2018 OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to test the effects of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on omega-3 levels, depressive symptoms, and other psychosocial factors, as well as other chronic heart failure (CHF)-related functional measures. BA ... Full text Link to item Cite

Worsening renal function during decongestion among patients hospitalized for heart failure: Findings from the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE) trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2018 INTRODUCTION: Worsening renal function (WRF) can occur throughout a hospitalization for acute heart failure (HF). However, decongestion can be measured in different ways and the prognostic implications of WRF in the setting of different measures of deconge ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antihyperglycemic Therapies to Treat Patients With Heart Failure and Diabetes Mellitus.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2018 There is increasing recognition of the relationship between diabetes and heart failure (HF). Comorbid diabetes is associated with worse outcomes in patients with HF, and death from HF forms a large burden of mortality among patients with diabetes and ather ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enrollment of Older Patients, Women, and Racial and Ethnic Minorities in Contemporary Heart Failure Clinical Trials: A Systematic Review.

Journal Article JAMA Cardiol · October 1, 2018 IMPORTANCE: Despite the importance of age, sex, and race/ethnicity representativeness in clinical trials, limited data exist regarding the enrollment trends of these groups in contemporary heart failure (HF) trials. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the represent ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression in Heart Failure: Beyond a SADHART.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2018 Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship Between Enrolling Country Income Level and Patient Profile, Protocol Completion, and Trial End Points.

Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · October 2018 BACKGROUND: Globalization of clinical trials fosters inclusion of higher and lower income countries, but the influence of enrolling country income level on heart failure trial performance is unclear. This study sought to evaluate associations between enrol ... Full text Link to item Cite

Renal Function and Exercise Training in AmbulatoryHeart Failure Patients With a Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 15, 2018 Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and/or end-stage renal disease are less active and experience significant functional limitations. The impact of a structured aerobic exercise intervention on outcomes in ambulatory heart failure (HF) patients with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reassessing the Role of Surrogate End Points in Drug Development for Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circulation · September 4, 2018 With few notable exceptions, drug development for heart failure (HF) has become progressively more challenging, and there remain no definitively proven therapies for patients with acute HF or HF with preserved ejection fraction. Inspection of temporal tren ... Full text Link to item Cite

Multi-ethnic comparisons of diabetes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: insights from the HF-ACTION trial and the ASIAN-HF registry.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · September 2018 AIM: To describe differences in patient characteristics and outcomes by ethnicity in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF, ejection fraction ≤35%) in a multi-ethnic cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: P ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction Expert Panel Report: Current Controversies and Implications for Clinical Trials.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2018 The number of persons with heart failure has continued to rise over the last several years. Approximately one-half of those living with heart failure have heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, but critical unsolved questions remain across the spe ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Circulating Cardiac Troponin I Levels Measured by a Novel Highly Sensitive Assay in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Insights From the ASCEND-HF Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 2018 BACKGROUND: Circulating cardiac troponin levels (cTn), representative of myocardial injury, are commonly elevated in heart failure (HF) and related to adverse clinical events. However, whether cTn represents a spectrum of risk in HF is unclear. METHODS: Ba ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dose Response of β-Blockers in Adrenergic Receptor Polymorphism Genotypes.

Journal Article Circ Genom Precis Med · August 2018 Background In heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction, 2 clinical trials, the BEST (β-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial) and HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training), have reported an effectiven ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sudden Death After Hospitalization for Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (from the EVEREST Trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · July 15, 2018 Patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) benefit from medical and device therapies targeting sudden cardiac death (SCD). Contemporary estimates of SCD risk after hospitalization for heart failure are limited. We describe t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment of sleep-disordered breathing in heart failure impacts cardiac remodeling: Insights from the CAT-HF Trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2018 BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), including central and obstructive sleep apnea, is a marker of poor prognosis in heart failure (HF) and may worsen cardiac dysfunction over time. Treatment of SDB with adaptive servoventilation (ASV) may reverse ... Full text Link to item Cite

The role of angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors in cardiovascular disease-existing evidence, knowledge gaps, and future directions.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2018 Although traditional renin-angiotensin system antagonists including angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers have revolutionized the treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the pivotal PARADIGM-HF trial demonstrated tha ... Full text Link to item Cite

Worsening Renal Function in Patients With Acute Heart Failure Undergoing Aggressive Diuresis Is Not Associated With Tubular Injury.

Journal Article Circulation · May 8, 2018 BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function (WRF) in the setting of aggressive diuresis for acute heart failure treatment may reflect renal tubular injury or simply indicate a hemodynamic or functional change in glomerular filtration. Well-validated tubular injur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevalent digoxin use and subsequent risk of death or hospitalization in ambulatory heart failure patients with a reduced ejection fraction-Findings from the Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · May 2018 BACKGROUND: Despite more than 200 years of clinical experience and a pivotal trial, recently published research has called into question the safety and efficacy of digoxin therapy in heart failure (HF). METHODS: HF-ACTION (ClinicalTrials.gov Number: NCT000 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevalence, predictors and clinical outcome of residual congestion in acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · May 1, 2018 BACKGROUND: Congestion is the main reason for hospital admission for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). A better understanding of the clinical course of congestion and factors associated with decongestion are therefore important. We studied the clin ... Full text Link to item Cite

What's One More Day?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2018 Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Significance of Creatinine Increases During an Acute Heart Failure Admission in Patients With and Without Residual Congestion: A Post Hoc Analysis of the PROTECT Data.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · May 2018 BACKGROUND: The importance of a serum creatinine increase, traditionally considered worsening renal function (WRF), during admission for acute heart failure has been recently debated, with data suggesting an interaction between congestion and creatinine ch ... Full text Link to item Cite

Machine Learning Methods Improve Prognostication, Identify Clinically Distinct Phenotypes, and Detect Heterogeneity in Response to Therapy in a Large Cohort of Heart Failure Patients.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · April 12, 2018 BACKGROUND: Whereas heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome, conventional approaches to its management have treated it as a singular disease, leading to inadequate patient care and inefficient clinical trials. We hypothesized that applying advanc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is Time of the Essence? The Impact of Time of Hospital Presentation in Acute Heart Failure: Insights From ASCEND-HF Trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2018 OBJECTIVES: As the largest acute heart failure (AHF) trial conducted to date, the global ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure) trial database presented an opportunity to systematically describe the r ... Full text Link to item Cite

2017 Cardiovascular and Stroke Endpoint Definitions for Clinical Trials.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · March 6, 2018 This publication describes uniform definitions for cardiovascular and stroke outcomes developed by the Standardized Data Collection for Cardiovascular Trials Initiative and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA established the Standardized D ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sudden cardiac death after acute heart failure hospital admission: insights from ASCEND-HF.

Conference Eur J Heart Fail · March 2018 AIMS: The incidence of and factors associated with sudden cardiac death (SCD) early after an acute heart failure (HF) hospital admission have not been well defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed SCD and ventricular arrhythmias in the Acute Study of Clin ... Full text Link to item Cite

2017 Cardiovascular and Stroke Endpoint Definitions for Clinical Trials.

Journal Article Circulation · February 27, 2018 This publication describes uniform definitions for cardiovascular and stroke outcomes developed by the Standardized Data Collection for Cardiovascular Trials Initiative and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA established the Standardized Dat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Interaction of Body Mass Index on the Association Between N-Terminal-Pro-b-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Morbidity and Mortality in Patients With Acute Heart Failure: Findings From ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure).

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · February 3, 2018 BACKGROUND: Higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with lower circulating levels of N-terminal-pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). The Interaction between BMI and NT-proBNP with respect to clinical outcomes is not well characterized in patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Systolic blood pressure reduction during the first 24 h in acute heart failure admission: friend or foe?

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · February 2018 AIMS: Changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP) during an admission for acute heart failure (AHF), especially those leading to hypotension, have been suggested to increase the risk for adverse outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed associations of SBP d ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of the Efficacy and Safety of the Oral Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulator: The VICTORIA Trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2018 This trial sought to evaluate whether vericiguat, a novel oral soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) stimulator, was superior to placebo, on a background of standard of care, in increasing the time to the first occurrence of the composite endpoints of cardiovasc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Aetiology, timing and clinical predictors of early vs. late readmission following index hospitalization for acute heart failure: insights from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · February 2018 AIMS: Patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) are at high risk for 30-day readmission. This study sought to examine the timings and causes of readmission within 30 days of an HF hospitalization. METHODS AND RESULTS: Timing and cause of readmission in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Smartphone, Mom, and HFpEF.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2018 Full text Link to item Cite

Improving Heart Failure Therapeutics Development in the United States: The Heart Failure Collaboratory.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 30, 2018 The current heart failure clinical trial environment is strained by increasing complexity and cost, regulatory requirements, competing demands on stakeholders, implementation challenges, and decreasing patient and investigator participation. To begin the p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Strategies for supporting intervention fidelity in the rehabilitation therapy in older acute heart failure patients (REHAB-HF) trial.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · January 2018 INTRODUCTION: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is the leading cause of hospitalization in older adults. Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure Patients (REHAB-HF) trial is a multi-site clinical trial to determine if physical rehabilita ... Full text Link to item Cite

I Don't Care How Low My BNP Is, I Want to Feel Good.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2018 Full text Link to item Cite

Novel Mitochondria-Targeting Peptide in Heart Failure Treatment: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Elamipretide.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · December 2017 BACKGROUND: Mitochondrial dysfunction and energy depletion in the failing heart are innovative therapeutic targets in heart failure management. Elamipretide is a novel tetrapeptide that increases mitochondrial energy; however, its safety, tolerability, and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Usefulness of Myocardial Annular Velocity Change During Mental Stress to Predict Cardiovascular Outcome in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease (From the Responses of Mental Stress-Induced Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment Trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · November 1, 2017 Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia is common and a prognostic factor of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). The present study aimed at examining associations between mental stress-induced myocardial annula ... Full text Link to item Cite

Goodbye Mihai: We Will Miss You.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2017 Full text Link to item Cite

A network analysis to compare biomarker profiles in patients with and without diabetes mellitus in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · October 2017 AIMS: It is unclear whether distinct pathophysiological processes are present among patients with acute heart failure (AHF), with and without diabetes. Network analysis of biomarkers may identify correlative associations that reflect different pathophysiol ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utility of Growth Differentiation Factor-15, A Marker of Oxidative Stress and Inflammation, in Chronic Heart Failure: Insights From the HF-ACTION Study.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2017 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the relationship between growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15 and clinical outcomes in ambulatory patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). BACKGROUND: The prognostic utility of GDF-15, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Multinational and multiethnic variations in health-related quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2017 BACKGROUND: Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with heart failure (HF) is an important goal of clinical care and HF research. We sought to investigate ethnic differences in perceived HRQoL and its association with mortality among ... Full text Link to item Cite

Blood pressure reactivity to psychological stress is associated with clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2017 INTRODUCTION: Cardiovascular (CV) reactivity to psychological stress has been implicated in the development and exacerbation of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although high CV reactivity traditionally is thought to convey greater risk of CVD, the relationsh ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does Institutional Memory Matter?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2017 Full text Link to item Cite

Palliative Care in Heart Failure: The PAL-HF Randomized, Controlled Clinical Trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 18, 2017 BACKGROUND: Advanced heart failure (HF) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality. Conventional therapy may not sufficiently reduce patient suffering and maximize quality of life. OBJECTIVES: The authors investigated whether an interdisciplinary pal ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarker Profiles of Acute Heart Failure Patients With a Mid-Range Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2017 OBJECTIVES: In this study, the authors used biomarker profiles to characterize differences between patients with acute heart failure with a midrange ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and compare them with patients with a reduced (heart failure with a reduced ejec ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hospitalization for Recently Diagnosed Versus Worsening Chronic Heart Failure: From the ASCEND-HF Trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 27, 2017 BACKGROUND: It is unclear how patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (HF) who are long-term chronic HF survivors differ from those with more recent HF diagnoses. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the influence of HF chronicity on ac ... Full text Link to item Cite

Plasma biomarkers to predict or rule out early post-discharge events after hospitalization for acute heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2017 AIM: Improved prediction of early post-discharge death or rehospitalization after admission for acute heart failure is a major unmet need. We evaluated the value of biomarkers to predict either low or high risk for early post-discharge events. METHODS AND ... Full text Link to item Cite

Measurement of troponin and natriuretic peptides shortly after admission in patients with heart failure-does it add useful prognostic information? An analysis of the Value of Endothelin Receptor Inhibition with Tezosentan in Acute heart failure Studies (VERITAS).

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2017 OBJECTIVE: Plasma concentrations of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and troponin are often measured for diagnostic purposes when patients are admitted with heart failure, but their prognostic value when measured soon after admission is uncertain. We aimed ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Versus Without Diabetes Mellitus and With Versus Without Angina Pectoris (from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 1, 2017 Angina pectoris (AP) has different prognostic implications in various populations. Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) may experience neuropathy such that AP may not be perceived in the setting of coronary artery disease (CAD). The prognostic utility of A ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of hemodynamically stable acute heart failure patients requiring a critical care unit admission: Derivation, validation, and refinement of a risk score.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2017 BACKGROUND: Most patients with acute heart failure (AHF) admitted to critical care units (CCUs) are low acuity and do not require CCU-specific therapies, suggesting that they could be managed in a lower-cost ward environment. This study identified the pred ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of Ularitide on Cardiovascular Mortality in Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · May 18, 2017 BACKGROUND: In patients with acute heart failure, early intervention with an intravenous vasodilator has been proposed as a therapeutic goal to reduce cardiac-wall stress and, potentially, myocardial injury, thereby favorably affecting patients' long-term ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Novel Rehabilitation Intervention for Older Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: The REHAB-HF Pilot Study.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2017 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess a novel physical rehabilitation intervention in older patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). BACKGROUND: After ADHF, older patients, who are frequently frail with multiple comorbidities, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale for and design of the TRUE-AHF trial: the effects of ularitide on the short-term clinical course and long-term mortality of patients with acute heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · May 2017 UNLABELLED: The TRUE-AHF is a randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial which is evaluating the effects of a 48-h infusion of ularitide (15 ng/kg/min) on the short- and long-term clinical course of patients with acute heart failure ... Full text Link to item Cite

Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 4, 2017 BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of aerobic exercise in heart failure (HF) patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) has not been well evaluated. OBJECTIVES: This study examined whether outcomes with exercise training in HF vary according to AF status. MET ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mental stress-induced left ventricular dysfunction and adverse outcome in ischemic heart disease patients.

Journal Article Eur J Prev Cardiol · April 2017 Aims Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) occurs in up to 70% of patients with clinically stable ischemic heart disease and is associated with increased risk of adverse prognosis. We aimed to examine the prognostic value of indices of MSIMI an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Aerobic exercise training and general health status in ambulatory heart failure patients with a reduced ejection fraction-Findings from the Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION)trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2017 BACKGROUND: Although aerobic exercise improves quality of life as assessed by a disease-specific instrument in ambulatory HF patients with a reduced ejection fraction (EF), the impact of an exercise intervention on general health status has not been previo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reassessing Phase II Heart Failure Clinical Trials: Consensus Recommendations.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · April 2017 The increasing burden and the continued suboptimal outcomes for patients with heart failure underlines the importance of continued research to develop novel therapeutics for this disorder. This can only be accomplished with successful translation of basic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiovascular Outcomes With Minute Ventilation-Targeted Adaptive Servo-Ventilation Therapy in Heart Failure: The CAT-HF Trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · March 28, 2017 BACKGROUND: Sleep apnea is common in hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: The CAT-HF (Cardiovascular Improvements With MV-ASV Therapy in Heart Failure) trial investigated whether min ... Full text Link to item Cite

Efficacy and Safety of Tolvaptan in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · March 21, 2017 BACKGROUND: The oral vasopressin-2 receptor antagonist tolvaptan causes aquaresis in patients with volume overload, potentially facilitating decongestion and improving the clinical course of patients with acute heart failure (AHF). OBJECTIVES: The TACTICS- ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Correlates and Prognostic Value of Proenkephalin in Acute and Chronic Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2017 BACKGROUND: Proenkephalin (pro-ENK) has emerged as a novel biomarker associated with both renal function and cardiac function. However, its clinical and prognostic value have not been well evaluated in symptomatic patients with heart failure. METHODS AND R ... Full text Link to item Cite

Blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine ratio in the general population and in patients with acute heart failure.

Journal Article Heart · March 2017 OBJECTIVE: The blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine (BUN/creatinine) ratio has been proposed as a useful parameter in acute heart failure (AHF), but data on the normal range and the added value of the ratio compared with its separate components in patients wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does the Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Benefit Vary With the Estimated Proportional Risk of Sudden Death in Heart Failure Patients?

Journal Article JACC Clin Electrophysiol · March 2017 BACKGROUND: Prediction of which heart failure patients are most likely to die of sudden death vs. non-sudden death is an important factor in determining who will benefit the most from an ICD. OBJECTIVE: We developed the Seattle Proportional Risk Model (SPR ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rehabilitation Therapy in Older Acute Heart Failure Patients (REHAB-HF) trial: Design and rationale.

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2017 BACKGROUND: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a leading cause of hospitalization in older persons in the United States. Reduced physical function and frailty are major determinants of adverse outcomes in older patients with hospitalized ADHF. How ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is Salt Bad for You?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · March 2017 Full text Link to item Cite

Insufficient reduction in heart rate during hospitalization despite beta-blocker treatment in acute decompensated heart failure: insights from the ASCEND-HF trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · February 2017 AIMS: Heart failure (HF) can be associated with a higher resting heart rate (HR), and an elevated HR is associated with adverse long-term events. However, the mechanistic and causal role of HR in HF is unclear. This study aimed to investigate changes in HR ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations between positive emotional well-being and stress-induced myocardial ischemia: Well-being scores predict exercise-induced ischemia.

Journal Article J Psychosom Res · February 2017 OBJECTIVE: Depressive symptoms have been associated with myocardial ischemia induced by mental (MSIMI) and exercise (ESIMI) stress in clinically stable ischemic heart disease (IHD) patients, but the association between positive emotions and inducible ische ... Full text Link to item Cite

Serum Potassium Levels and Outcome in Acute Heart Failure (Data from the PROTECT and COACH Trials).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2017 Serum potassium is routinely measured at admission for acute heart failure (AHF), but information on association with clinical variables and prognosis is limited. Potassium measurements at admission were available in 1,867 patients with AHF in the original ... Full text Link to item Cite

Socioeconomic and partner status in chronic heart failure: Relationship to exercise capacity, quality of life, and clinical outcomes.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2017 BACKGROUND: Prognosis in patients with heart failure (HF) is commonly assessed based on clinical characteristics. The association between partner status and socioeconomic status (SES) and outcomes in chronic HF requires further study. METHODS: We performed ... Full text Link to item Cite

Body Weight Change During and After Hospitalization for Acute Heart Failure: Patient Characteristics, Markers of Congestion, and Outcomes: Findings From the ASCEND-HF Trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2017 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine the relationships between in-hospital and post-discharge body weight changes and outcomes among patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (AHF). BACKGROUND: Body weight changes during and after hospitalization f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of Coping Skills Training on Quality of Life, Disease Biomarkers, and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2017 BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic disease that compromises patients' quality of life (QoL). Interventions designed to reduce distress and improve disease self-management are needed. We evaluated the efficacy of a telephone-based coping skills tra ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations of Body Mass Index With Laboratory and Biomarkers in Patients With Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2017 BACKGROUND: Plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides decline with obesity in patients with heart failure. Whether this is true for other biomarkers is unknown. We investigated a wide range of biomarker profiles in acute heart failure across the body m ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevention of contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients undergoing cardiovascular procedures-a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2017 BACKGROUND: Interventional diagnostic and therapeutic procedures requiring intravascular iodinated contrast steadily increase patient exposure to the risks of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI), which is associated with death, nonfatal cardiovasc ... Full text Link to item Cite

HFSA President's Paper

Journal Article Journal of Cardiac Failure · January 1, 2017 Full text Cite

Use of biomarkers to establish potential role and function of circulating microRNAs in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · December 1, 2016 BACKGROUND: Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) emerge as potential heart failure biomarkers. We aimed to identify associations between acute heart failure (AHF)-specific circulating miRNAs and well-known heart failure biomarkers. METHODS: Associations between ... Full text Link to item Cite

Not Your Mother's FDA.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2016 Full text Link to item Cite

Risk-based evaluation of efficacy of rolofylline in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure - Post-hoc analysis of the PROTECT trial.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · November 15, 2016 BACKGROUND: The selective adenosine A1 receptor antagonist rolofylline showed a neutral overall result on clinical outcomes in the PROTECT trial. However, we hypothesized that response to rolofylline treatment could be influenced by underlying clinical ris ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acute heart failure in the young: Clinical characteristics and biomarker profiles.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · October 15, 2016 BACKGROUND: Young patients (<50years) exhibit specific characteristics in chronic heart failure (HF), but their phenotype in acute heart failure (AHF) is not well described. METHODS AND RESULTS: 2033 patients of the PROTECT trial were divided into two grou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of Angina Pectoris to Outcomes, Quality of Life, and Response to Exercise Training in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure (from HF-ACTION).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · October 15, 2016 Angina pectoris (AP) is associated with worse outcomes in heart failure (HF). We investigated the association of AP with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), exercise capacity, and clinical outcomes and its interaction with exercise training in an HF po ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors and Associations With Outcomes of Length of Hospital Stay in Patients With Acute Heart Failure: Results From VERITAS.

Journal Article J Card Fail · October 2016 BACKGROUND: The length of hospital stay (LOS) is important in patients admitted for acute heart failure (AHF) because it prolongs an unpleasant experience for the patients and adds substantially to health care costs. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined the as ... Full text Link to item Cite

Usefulness of Palliative Care to Complement the Management of Patients on Left Ventricular Assist Devices.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 1, 2016 Within the last decade, advancements in left ventricular assist device therapy have allowed patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) to live longer and with better quality of life. Like other life-saving interventions, however, there remains the risk of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of Clinical Trial Site Enrollment on Patient Characteristics, Protocol Completion, and End Points: Insights From the ASCEND-HF Trial (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure).

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · September 2016 BACKGROUND: Most international acute heart failure trials have failed to show benefit with respect to key end points. The impact of site enrollment and protocol execution on trial performance is unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the impact of varyi ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Mentor's Mentor: The Life of Galen Wagner.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · September 2016 Full text Link to item Cite

Reactive hyperemia is associated with adverse clinical outcomes in heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2016 INTRODUCTION: Impaired endothelial function, as assessed by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD), is an established risk factor for cardiovascular events. FMD is impaired in heart failure (HF) patients, but less is known about hyperemic brachial ar ... Full text Link to item Cite

Statins and Exercise Training Response in Heart Failure Patients: Insights From HF-ACTION.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2016 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess for a treatment interaction between statin use and exercise training (ET) response. BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that statins may attenuate ET response, but limited data exist in patients with heart failur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implications of Using Different Definitions on Outcomes in Worsening Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · August 2016 BACKGROUND: In-hospital worsening heart failure (WHF) is an important event that has inconsistent definitions used across trials. We used data from 2 acute heart failure (HF) trials from the National Institutes of Health HF Network, DOSE (Diuretic Optimiza ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hypochloremia, Diuretic Resistance, and Outcome in Patients With Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · August 2016 BACKGROUND: Chloride plays a role in renal salt sensing, neurohormonal activation, and regulation of diuretic targets, and hypochloremia predicts mortality in acute heart failure (AHF). AHF therapies, such as diuretics, alter chloride homeostasis. We studi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Patient journey after admission for acute heart failure: length of stay, 30-day readmission and 90-day mortality.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2016 AIMS: The course of patients following admission for acute heart failure (AHF) is of major importance to patients and healthcare providers. We examined predictors and associations of length of stay (LOS), 30-day post-discharge readmission and 90-day post-d ... Full text Link to item Cite

Can Academic Cardiology Divisions Survive?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2016 Full text Link to item Cite

Response to Exercise Training and Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure and Diabetes Mellitus: Insights From the HF-ACTION Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · July 2016 BACKGROUND: In HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training), exercise training improved functional capacity in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Previous studies have suggested that diabetes ... Full text Link to item Cite

Abnormal liver function tests in acute heart failure: relationship with clinical characteristics and outcome in the PROTECT study.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · July 2016 AIMS: Episodes of acute heart failure (AHF) unfavourably affect multiple organs, which may have an adverse impact on the outcomes. We investigated the prevalence and clinical consequences of abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) in AHF patients enrolled in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Baseline Hemodynamics and Response to Contrast Media During Diagnostic Cardiac Catheterization Predict Adverse Events in Heart Failure Patients.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · July 2016 BACKGROUND: Contrast media administered during cardiac catheterization can affect hemodynamic variables. However, little is documented about the effects of contrast on hemodynamics in heart failure patients or the prognostic value of baseline and changes i ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Year in Heart Failure Review 2015 to 2016.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · July 2016 Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of Frequency of Frailty and Severely Impaired Physical Function in Patients ≥60 Years Hospitalized With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Versus Chronic Stable Heart Failure With Reduced and Preserved Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 15, 2016 Older patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) have persistently poor outcomes including frequent rehospitalization despite guidelines-based therapy. We hypothesized that such patients have multiple, severe impairments in physical function, c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nesiritide in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure: does timing matter? Implication for future acute heart failure trials.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2016 AIMS: It remains unclear if early administration of i.v. nesiritide in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) is associated with improved clinical outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analysed data from 7007 patients enrolled in ASCEND-HF to exa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dichotomous Relationship Between Age and 30-Day Death or Rehospitalization in Heart Failure Patients Admitted With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure: Results From the ASCEND-HF Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2016 BACKGROUND: Younger age as an independent predictor of death or all-cause rehospitalization at 30 days post-randomization for hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients has not been well described. METHODS AND RESULTS: ASCEND-HF enrolled 7141 hospitalized ac ... Full text Link to item Cite

Geographic Differences in Patients in a Global Acute Heart Failure Clinical Trial (from the ASCEND-HF Trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 1, 2016 A growing number of countries and geographical regions are involved in major clinical trials. Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure is the largest trial in acutely decompensated heart failure (HF) with patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Combining Diuretic Response and Hemoconcentration to Predict Rehospitalization After Admission for Acute Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · June 2016 BACKGROUND: Both diuretic response and hemoconcentration are indicators of decongestion and have individually been found to predict rehospitalization after admission for acute heart failure (HF). This study examines the value of combining diuretic response ... Full text Link to item Cite

Plasma kidney injury molecule-1 in heart failure: renal mechanisms and clinical outcome.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2016 AIMS: Urinary kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1) is a marker of tubular damage and associated with worse outcome in heart failure (HF). Plasma KIM-1 has not been described in HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a renal mechanistic cohort of 120 chronic HF patients, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 Monoclonal Antibodies for Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Narrative Review.

Journal Article Ann Intern Med · May 3, 2016 Monoclonal antibodies that inhibit proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) are an emerging therapy for dyslipidemia. Acute coronary events induce a dynamic increase of PCSK9 levels that may play a role in plaque vulnerability of both culprit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Are We Really in Love With Old Therapies?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 12, 2016 Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical predictors and outcomes of patients with left ventricular thrombus following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

Journal Article J Thromb Thrombolysis · April 2016 We aimed to characterize the independent predictors of LVT following STEMI and the association with outcomes. The clinical predictors of left ventricular thrombus (LVT) formation after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are not well-defined ... Full text Link to item Cite

Signature of circulating microRNAs in patients with acute heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · April 2016 AIMS: Our aim was to identify circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with acute heart failure (AHF). METHODS AND RESULTS: Plasma miRNA profiling included 137 patients with AHF from 3 different cohorts, 20 with chronic heart failure (CHF), 8 with acute e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Liver function tests in patients with acute heart failure and associated outcomes: insights from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · April 2016 AIMS: We aimed to characterize abnormal liver function tests in patients with heart failure (HF), as they are commonly encountered yet poorly defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used data from ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment of Hypertension in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease. A Case-Based Summary of the 2015 AHA/ACC/ASH Scientific Statement.

Journal Article Am J Med · April 2016 The 2015 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/American Society of Hypertension Scientific Statement "Treatment of Hypertension in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease" is summarized in the context of a clinical case. The Statement dea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Arrival by ambulance in acute heart failure: insights into the mode of presentation from Acute Studies of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article BMJ Open · March 17, 2016 OBJECTIVES: Limited data exist assessing the relationship between ambulance versus self-presentation and outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). SETTING: Clinical trial sites in North America. PARTICIPANTS: 1068 patients enrolled in the Acute ... Full text Link to item Cite

The clinical course of health status and association with outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure: insights from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2016 AIMS: A longitudinal and comprehensive analysis of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was performed during hospitalization for heart failure (HF) or soon after discharge. METHODS AND RESULTS: A post-hoc analysis was performed of the ASCEND-HF trial. Th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Increased mortality with elevated plasma endothelin-1 in acute heart failure: an ASCEND-HF biomarker substudy.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2016 AIMS: Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is an endogenous vasoconstrictor implicated in pulmonary and systemic hypertension, as well as ventricular dysfunction, through effects on vascular smooth muscle, the kidneys, and cardiomyocytes. We aimed to determine the associat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hemodynamic Predictors of Heart Failure Morbidity and Mortality: Fluid or Flow?

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2016 BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced heart failure may continue for prolonged times with persistent hemodynamic abnormalities; intermediate- and long-term outcomes of these patients are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used ESCAPE (Evaluation Study of Conges ... Full text Link to item Cite

Lessons learned from a clinical trial: Design, rationale, and insights from The Cardiovascular Improvements with Minute Ventilation-targeted Adaptive Sero-Ventilation (ASV) Therapy in Heart Failure (CAT-HF) Study.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · March 2016 OBJECTIVE: The CAT-HF Study was designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of minute ventilation-targeted adaptive servo-ventilation (MV-ASV) during sleep in addition to optimized medical therapy (active therapy) versus optimized medical therapy alone (u ... Full text Link to item Cite

Optimizing clinical use of biomarkers in high-risk acute heart failure patients.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2016 AIM: The clinical value of single biomarkers at single time-points to predict outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) is limited. We performed a multimarker, multi-time-point analysis of biomarkers for the prediction of post-discharge clinical ... Full text Link to item Cite

Variables Measured During Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing as Predictors of Mortality in Chronic Systolic Heart Failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · February 23, 2016 BACKGROUND: Data from a cardiopulmonary exercise (CPX) test are used to determine prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (HF). However, few published studies have simultaneously compared the relative prognostic strength of multiple CPX variables. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Rate or Beta-Blocker Dose? Association With Outcomes in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients With Systolic Dysfunction: Results From the HF-ACTION Trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2016 OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare whether reduced heart rate (HR) or higher beta-blocker (BB) dose affected outcomes to a greater extent in the HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) trial population ... Full text Link to item Cite

A combined clinical and biomarker approach to predict diuretic response in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Clin Res Cardiol · February 2016 BACKGROUND: Poor diuretic response in acute heart failure is related to poor clinical outcome. The underlying mechanisms and pathophysiology behind diuretic resistance are incompletely understood. We evaluated a combined approach using clinical characteris ... Full text Link to item Cite

Torsemide Versus Furosemide in Patients With Acute Heart Failure (from the ASCEND-HF Trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · February 1, 2016 Furosemide is the most commonly used loop diuretic in patients with heart failure (HF) despite data suggesting potential pharmacologic and antifibrotic benefits with torsemide. We investigated patients with HF in Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Ne ... Full text Link to item Cite

Procalcitonin-based indication of bacterial infection identifies high risk acute heart failure patients.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · February 1, 2016 BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure are related to worse prognosis, but they can be difficult to diagnose. In this study we evaluated the prevalence, clinical correlates and association with outcomes of signif ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Implications of Long-Chain Acylcarnitines in Heart Failure and Reversibility With Mechanical Circulatory Support.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 26, 2016 BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is characterized by perturbations in energy homeostasis and metabolism. The reversibility and prognostic value of circulating markers associated with these changes remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to describe the ... Full text Link to item Cite

MicroRNAs relate to early worsening of renal function in patients with acute heart failure.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · January 15, 2016 BACKGROUND: Deregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) may be involved in the pathogenesis of heart failure (HF) and renal disease. Our aim is to describe miRNA levels related to early worsening renal function in acute HF patients. METHOD AND RESULTS: We studied t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pathophysiology and clinical evaluation of acute heart failure.

Journal Article Nat Rev Cardiol · January 2016 Acute heart failure (AHF) is a complex syndrome characterized by worsening heart failure (HF) symptoms that requires escalation of therapy. Intrinsic cardiac abnormalities and comorbid conditions, including lung and renal disease, and sleep-disordered brea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic Value of Baseline and Changes in Circulating Soluble ST2 Levels and the Effects of Nesiritide in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2016 OBJECTIVES: The study sought to investigate the association between soluble growth stimulation expressed gene 2 (sST2) level and adverse outcomes in acute heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated the prognostic utility of sST2 leve ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical Implications of Cluster Analysis-Based Classification of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure and Correlation with Bedside Hemodynamic Profiles.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2016 BACKGROUND: Classification of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is based on subjective criteria that crudely capture disease heterogeneity. Improved phenotyping of the syndrome may help improve therapeutic strategies. OBJECTIVE: To derive cluster an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Which heart failure patients profit from natriuretic peptide guided therapy? A meta-analysis from individual patient data of randomized trials.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2015 AIMS: Previous analyses suggest that heart failure (HF) therapy guided by (N-terminal pro-)brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) might be dependent on left ventricular ejection fraction, age and co-morbidities, but the reasons remain unclear. METHODS AND R ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure "End Result Cards": Solid B.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2015 Full text Link to item Cite

Psychosocial Factors, Exercise Adherence, and Outcomes in Heart Failure Patients: Insights From Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION).

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2015 BACKGROUND: Psychosocial factors may influence adherence with exercise training for heart failure (HF) patients. We aimed to describe the association between social support and barriers to participation with exercise adherence and clinical outcomes. METHOD ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bundle Up for Value-Based Heart Failure Care.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · November 2015 Full text Link to item Cite

Management and outcomes in patients with moderate or severe functional mitral regurgitation and severe left ventricular dysfunction.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · October 21, 2015 AIMS: The management and outcomes of patients with functional moderate/severe mitral regurgitation and severe left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction are not well defined. We sought to determine the characteristics, management strategies, and outcomes o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Circulating Kidney Injury Molecule-1 Levels in Acute Heart Failure: Insights From the ASCEND-HF Trial (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure).

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2015 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine the relationship of KIM-1 levels with adverse clinical outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). BACKGROUND: Kidney injury molecule (KIM)-1 is a biomarker expressed by the nephron in acute tubular inju ... Full text Link to item Cite

Inflammation Markers and Major Depressive Disorder in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure: Results From the Sertraline Against Depression and Heart Disease in Chronic Heart Failure Study.

Journal Article Psychosom Med · September 2015 BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic heart failure (CHF) have in common heightening states of inflammation, manifested by elevated inflammation markers such as C-reactive protein. This study compared inflammatory biomarker profiles in pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tolvaptan in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Heart Failure: Rationale and Design of the TACTICS and the SECRET of CHF Trials.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · September 2015 Congestion is a primary reason for hospitalization in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Despite inpatient diuretics and vasodilators targeting decongestion, persistent congestion is present in many AHF patients at discharge and more severe congestio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparative effectiveness of torsemide versus furosemide in heart failure patients: insights from the PROTECT trial.

Journal Article Future Cardiol · September 2015 AIM: The authors assessed the comparative effectiveness of torsemide versus furosemide in the PROTECT trial. METHODS: The authors assessed the relationship between loop diuretic at discharge and death or cardiovascular/renal hospitalization within 30 days, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acute Heart Failure and Atrial Fibrillation: Insights From the Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) Trial.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · August 24, 2015 BACKGROUND: Patients with acute heart failure (AHF) frequently have atrial fibrillation (AF), but how this affects patient-reported outcomes has not been well characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS: We examined dyspnea improvement and clinical outcomes in 7007 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Incremental and independent value of cardiopulmonary exercise test measures and the Seattle Heart Failure Model for prediction of risk in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article J Heart Lung Transplant · August 2015 BACKGROUND: Multivariable risk scores and exercise measures are well-validated risk prediction methods. Combining information from a functional evaluation and a risk model may improve accuracy of risk predictions. We analyzed whether adding exercise measur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of the prognostic value of regadenoson and adenosine myocardial perfusion imaging.

Journal Article J Nucl Cardiol · August 2015 BACKGROUND: Regadenoson is now widely used in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). However, the prognostic value of abnormal stress perfusion findings with regadenoson vs adenosine are unclear. The aim of t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Worsening heart failure during hospitalization for acute heart failure: Insights from the Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2015 BACKGROUND: Despite initial in-hospital treatment of acute heart failure (HF), some patients experience worsening HF (WHF). There are limited data about the outcomes and characteristics of patients who experience in-hospital WHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: We as ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of clinical outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure: Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure outcome models.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2015 BACKGROUND: Patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) are at high risk for early mortality and rehospitalization. Risk stratification of ADHF using clinically available data on admission is increasingly important to integrate with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diuretic response in acute heart failure-an analysis from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2015 BACKGROUND: Diuretic unresponsiveness often occurs during hospital admission for acute heart failure (AHF) and is associated with adverse outcome. This study aims to investigate determinants, clinical outcome, and the effects of nesiritide on diuretic resp ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Globalization of Heart Failure Research.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2015 Full text Link to item Cite

Site selection for heart failure clinical trials in the USA.

Journal Article Heart Fail Rev · July 2015 There are more than 1 million primary hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) annually in the USA alone, and post-discharge outcomes remain persistently poor despite available therapies and quality improvement initiatives. Recent international randomized c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of the Incremental Prognostic Utility of Increasingly Complex Testing in Chronic Heart Failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · July 2015 BACKGROUND: Current heart failure (HF) risk prediction models do not consider how individual patient assessments occur in incremental steps; furthermore, each additional diagnostic evaluation may add cost, complexity, and potential morbidity. METHODS AND R ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early vs. late worsening heart failure during acute heart failure hospitalization: insights from the PROTECT trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · July 2015 BACKGROUND: Worsening heart failure (WHF) symptoms despite initial therapy during admission for acute heart failure (AHF) is associated with worse outcomes. The association between the time of the WHF event and the intensity of WHF therapy with outcomes is ... Full text Link to item Cite

Metabolomics analysis reveals insights into biochemical mechanisms of mental stress-induced left ventricular dysfunction.

Journal Article Metabolomics · June 1, 2015 Mental stress induced left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) has been associated with a greater risk of adverse events in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients independent of conventional risk indicators. The underlying biochemical mechanisms of this cardiovas ... Full text Link to item Cite

Time for Recognition.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · June 2015 Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition in Hyperuricemic Heart Failure Patients: The Xanthine Oxidase Inhibition for Hyperuricemic Heart Failure Patients (EXACT-HF) Study.

Journal Article Circulation · May 19, 2015 BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress may contribute to heart failure (HF) progression. Inhibiting xanthine oxidase in hyperuricemic HF patients may improve outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We randomly assigned 253 patients with symptomatic HF, left ventricular eject ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic significance of depression in blacks with heart failure: insights from Heart Failure: a Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · May 2015 BACKGROUND: Although studies have shown that depression is associated with worse outcomes in patients with heart failure, most studies have been in white patients. The impact of depression on outcomes in blacks with heart failure has not been studied. METH ... Full text Link to item Cite

Torsemide versus furosemide in heart failure patients: insights from Duke University Hospital.

Journal Article J Cardiovasc Pharmacol · May 2015 Furosemide has historically been the primary loop diuretic in heart failure patients despite data suggesting potential advantages with torsemide. We used the Duke Echocardiography Lab Database to investigate patients admitted with heart failure to Duke Hos ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Worsening Heart Failure Following Admission for Acute Heart Failure: A Pooled Analysis of the PROTECT and RELAX-AHF Studies.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · May 2015 OBJECTIVES: These studies conducted analyses to examine patient characteristics and outcomes associated with worsening heart failure (WHF). BACKGROUND: WHF during an admission for acute heart failure (AHF) represents treatment failure and is a potential th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Patient selection in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction clinical trials.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 28, 2015 Recent clinical trials in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) have provided important insights into participant selection strategies. Historically, HFpEF trials have included patients with relatively preserved left ventricu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Authorship in a multicenter clinical trial: The Heart Failure-A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) Authorship and Publication (HAP) scoring system results.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2015 BACKGROUND: Few guidelines exist regarding authorship on manuscripts resulting from large multicenter trials. The HF-ACTION investigators devised a system to address assignment of authorship on trial publications and tested the outcomes in the course of co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Platelet aggregation and mental stress induced myocardial ischemia: Results from the Responses of Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment (REMIT) study.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2015 BACKGROUND: Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) is common in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and associated with a poorer cardiovascular prognosis. Platelet hyperactivity is an important factor in acute coronary syndrome. This stud ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Platelet aggregation and mental stress induced myocardial ischemia: Results from the Responses of Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment (REMIT) study

Journal Article American Heart Journal · April 1, 2015 Background Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) is common in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and associated with a poorer cardiovascular prognosis. Platelet hyperactivity is an important factor in acute coronary syndrome. This study ... Full text Cite

Loop diuretic dose adjustments after a hospitalization for heart failure: insights from ASCEND-HF.

Conference Eur J Heart Fail · March 2015 AIMS: Loop diuretics are a cornerstone of heart failure (HF) treatment, but data regarding diuretic dose adjustments after a HF hospitalization and the association with subsequent outcomes are limited. This study was therefore conducted to determine these ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acute heart failure in the elderly: differences in clinical characteristics, outcomes, and prognostic factors in the VERITAS Study.

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2015 BACKGROUND: Acute heart failure (HF) is common in the elderly, but the association of age with clinical outcomes and prognostic factors has not been examined thoroughly. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed the clinical and laboratory characteristics and the o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving cardiovascular clinical trials conduct in the United States: recommendation from clinicians, researchers, sponsors, and regulators.

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2015 Advances in medical therapies leading to improved patient outcomes are in large part related to successful conduct of clinical trials that offer critical information regarding the efficacy and safety of novel interventions. The conduct of clinical trials i ... Full text Link to item Cite

A reappraisal of loop diuretic choice in heart failure patients.

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2015 The health and economic burden of heart failure is significant and continues to grow each year. Loop diuretics are an integral part of symptom management in heart failure. Furosemide is used disproportionately compared with other loop diuretics, and there ... Full text Link to item Cite

Decongestion strategies and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system activation in acute heart failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2015 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between biomarkers of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation and decongestion strategies, worsening renal function, and clinical outcomes. BACKGROUND: High-dose diuretic t ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Acute heart failure in elderly patients: worse outcomes and differential utility of standard prognostic variables. Insights from the PROTECT trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2015 AIMS: Previous heart failure (HF) trials suggested that age influences patient characteristics and outcome; however, under-representation of elderly patients has limited characterization of this cohort. Whether standard prognostic variables have differenti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparative assessment of short-term adverse events in acute heart failure with cystatin C and other estimates of renal function: results from the ASCEND-HF trial.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · January 2015 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictive values of baseline and changes in cystatin C (CysC) and its derived equations for short-term adverse outcomes and the effect of nesiritide therapy on CysC in acute decompensated heart ... Full text Link to item Cite

Exercise training and pacing status in patients with heart failure: results from HF-ACTION.

Journal Article J Card Fail · January 2015 BACKGROUND: We sought to determine if outcomes with exercise training in heart failure (HF) vary according to ventricular pacing type. METHODS AND RESULTS: Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) randomized ... Full text Link to item Cite

Fractures and mortality in relation to different osteoporosis treatments

Journal Article Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology · January 1, 2015 Objective: Few studies have assessed the effectiveness of different drugs for osteoporosis (OP). We aimed to determine if fracture and mortality rates vary among patients initiating different OP medications. Methods: We used the Medicare 5% sample to ident ... Cite

The association between meteorological events and acute heart failure: new insights from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · December 20, 2014 INTRODUCTION: Given the rising prevalence of heart failure (HF), our objective is to explore the relationships between meteorological events and acute HF (AHF) globally. METHODS: We used data from 30 countries participating in the ASCEND-HF trial. Paramete ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acute decompensated heart failure patients admitted to critical care units: insights from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · December 20, 2014 BACKGROUND: Little is known about global patterns of critical care unit (CCU) care and the relationship with outcomes in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Whether a ward or a CCU admission is associated with better outcomes is unclear ... Full text Link to item Cite

Noncardiac comorbidities in heart failure with reduced versus preserved ejection fraction.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · December 2, 2014 Heart failure patients are classified by ejection fraction (EF) into distinct groups: heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) or heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Although patients with heart failure commonly have multipl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Worsening heart failure, a critical event during hospital admission for acute heart failure: results from the VERITAS study.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2014 AIMS: Worsening heart failure (WHF) in the first 7 days after an admission for acute HF (AHF) has been proposed as a therapeutic target in several recent AHF studies and was a co-primary endpoint of the VERITAS studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients were r ... Full text Link to item Cite

The palliative care in heart failure trial: rationale and design.

Journal Article Am Heart J · November 2014 BACKGROUND: The progressive nature of heart failure (HF) coupled with high mortality and poor quality of life mandates greater attention to palliative care as a routine component of advanced HF management. Limited evidence exists from randomized, controlle ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hypotension during hospitalization for acute heart failure is independently associated with 30-day mortality: findings from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2014 BACKGROUND: Outcomes associated with episodes of hypotension while hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure are not well understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data from Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical implications of chronic heart failure phenotypes defined by cluster analysis.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · October 28, 2014 BACKGROUND: Classification of chronic heart failure (HF) is on the basis of criteria that may not adequately capture disease heterogeneity. Improved phenotyping may help inform research and therapeutic strategies. OBJECTIVES: This study used cluster analys ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex differences in platelet reactivity and cardiovascular and psychological response to mental stress in patients with stable ischemic heart disease: insights from the REMIT study.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · October 21, 2014 BACKGROUND: Although emotional stress is associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and related clinical events, sex-specific differences in the psychobiological response to mental stress have not been clearly identified. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to study th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Charting a roadmap for heart failure biomarker studies.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2014 Heart failure is a syndrome with a pathophysiological basis that can be traced to dysfunction in several interconnected molecular pathways. Identification of biomarkers of heart failure that allow measurement of the disease on a molecular level has resulte ... Full text Link to item Cite

PA32540 (a coordinated-delivery tablet of enteric-coated aspirin 325 mg and immediate-release omeprazole 40 mg) versus enteric-coated aspirin 325 mg alone in subjects at risk for aspirin-associated gastric ulcers: results of two 6-month, phase 3 studies.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2014 BACKGROUND: Discontinuations and/or interruptions in aspirin therapy for secondary cardioprotection due to upper gastrointestinal (UGI) complications or symptoms have been shown to increase the risk for subsequent cardiovascular events. PA32540 is a coordi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale and design of the GUIDE-IT study: Guiding Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment in Heart Failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2014 OBJECTIVES: The GUIDE-IT (Guiding Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment in Heart Failure) study is designed to determine the safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of a strategy of adjusting therapy with the goal of achieving and m ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characteristics and outcomes of patients with heart failure and discordant findings by right-sided heart catheterization and cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · October 1, 2014 There are limited data integrating findings on right-sided cardiac catheterization and cardiopulmonary exercise testing in ambulatory patients with heart failure. In this study, 187 outpatients with HF referred to the Duke Medical Center for consideration ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nesiritide, renal function, and associated outcomes during hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure: results from the Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide and Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article Circulation · September 16, 2014 BACKGROUND: Contradictory results have been reported on the effects of nesiritide on renal function in patients with acute decompensated heart failure. We studied the effects of nesiritide on renal function during hospitalization for acute decompensated he ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical effectiveness of CRT and ICD therapy in heart failure patients by racial/ethnic classification: insights from the IMPROVE HF registry.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 26, 2014 BACKGROUND: Clinical trials have demonstrated benefit for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapies in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF); yet, questions have been rai ... Full text Link to item Cite

Safety and efficacy of aerobic training in patients with cancer who have heart failure: an analysis of the HF-ACTION randomized trial.

Journal Article J Clin Oncol · August 10, 2014 PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of aerobic training (AT) in patients with cancer with medically stable heart failure (HF). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 90 patients with cancer who have HF and who were randomly assigned ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations between seattle heart failure model scores and medical resource use and costs: findings from HF-ACTION.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 2014 BACKGROUND: Prognostic models, such as the Seattle Heart Failure Model (SHFM), have been developed to predict patient survival. The extent to which they predict medical resource use and costs has not been explored. In this study, we evaluated relationships ... Full text Link to item Cite

Persistent angina pectoris in ischaemic cardiomyopathy: increased rehospitalization and major adverse cardiac events.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2014 AIMS: The impact of refractory angina pectoris (AP) in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is unknown. We investigated the characteristics and outcomes of ICM patients with persistent AP following cardiac catheterization. METHODS AND RESULTS: Pati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart failure: where the paths cross.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2014 Full text Link to item Cite

Exercise training for chronic heart failure (ExTraMATCH II): protocol for an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · July 1, 2014 BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic heart failure (HF) experience a marked reduction in their exercise capacity, health-related quality of life, and life expectancy. Despite substantive evidence supporting exercise training in HF, uncertainties remain in the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of B-type natriuretic peptide-guided treatment of chronic heart failure on total mortality and hospitalization: an individual patient meta-analysis.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · June 14, 2014 AIMS: Natriuretic peptide-guided (NP-guided) treatment of heart failure has been tested against standard clinically guided care in multiple studies, but findings have been limited by study size. We sought to perform an individual patient data meta-analysis ... Full text Link to item Cite

International differences in clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes in acute heart failure patients: better short-term outcomes in patients enrolled in Eastern Europe and Russia in the PROTECT trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2014 AIMS: The implications of geographical variation are unknown following adjustment for hospital length of stay (LOS) in heart failure (HF) trials that included patients whether or not they had systolic dysfunction. We investigated regional differences in an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Analysis of geographic variations in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with aortic stenosis in North Carolina.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 1, 2014 Despite advances in the treatment of aortic stenosis (AS), many patients with AS remain untreated. Barriers to accessing cardiovascular surgical care may play a role in this undertreatment. We sought to examine whether there are geographic variations in th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis as predictors of mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · June 2014 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether biomarkers of myocardial stress and fibrosis improve prediction of the mode of death in patients with chronic heart failure. BACKGROUND: The 2 most common modes of death in patients with chronic he ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diuretic response in acute heart failure: clinical characteristics and prognostic significance.

Conference Eur Heart J · May 14, 2014 AIM: Diminished diuretic response is common in patients with acute heart failure, although a clinically useful definition is lacking. Our aim was to investigate a practical, workable metric for diuretic response, examine associated patient characteristics ... Full text Link to item Cite

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein in acute heart failure: insights from the ASCEND-HF trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · May 2014 BACKGROUND: Inflammation is associated with progression of chronic heart failure (HF). Few data exist on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels and their importance in acute HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this biomarker substudy of the ASCEND-HF t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Decongestion in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · May 2014 Congestion is a major reason for hospitalization in acute heart failure (HF). Therapeutic strategies to manage congestion include diuretics, vasodilators, ultrafiltration, vasopressin antagonists, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, and potentially als ... Full text Link to item Cite

Lessons from the TOPCAT trial.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · April 10, 2014 Full text Link to item Cite

Impaired resting myocardial annular velocities are independently associated with mental stress-induced ischemia in coronary heart disease.

Journal Article JACC Cardiovasc Imaging · April 2014 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between resting myocardial function as assessed by tissue Doppler myocardial velocities and the propensity to develop mental stress-induced ischemia (MSIMI). BACKGROUND: Tissue Doppler my ... Full text Link to item Cite

Developing therapies for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: current state and future directions.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2014 The burden of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is considerable and is projected to worsen. To date, there are no approved therapies available for reducing mortality or hospitalizations for these patients. The pathophysiology of HFpEF ... Full text Link to item Cite

Meta-analysis bouillabaisse.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2014 Full text Link to item Cite

The relationship between left ventricular ejection fraction and mortality in patients with acute heart failure: insights from the ASCEND-HF Trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2014 AIM: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is associated with significant morbidity and mortality but the relationship between LVEF and outcomes is unclear. We explored the association between LVEF and 30 and 180 day mortality in 7007 ADHF patients enro ... Full text Link to item Cite

The effects of exercise on cardiovascular biomarkers in patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2014 BACKGROUND: Exercise training is recommended for chronic heart failure (HF) patients to improve functional status and reduce risk of adverse outcomes. Elevated plasma levels of amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), high-sensitivity C-re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design of design papers.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2014 Full text Link to item Cite

Renal impairment, worsening renal function, and outcome in patients with heart failure: an updated meta-analysis.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · February 2014 AIMS: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and worsening renal function (WRF) have been associated with poor outcome in heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: Articles were identified by literature search of MEDLINE (from inception to 1 July 2012) and Cochrane. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: comparison of patients with and without angina pectoris (from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease).

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 28, 2014 OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the characteristics and outcomes of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and angina pectoris (AP). BACKGROUND: AP is a predictor of adverse events in patients with heart failure with reduc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of postdischarge outcomes from information acquired shortly after admission for acute heart failure: a report from the Placebo-Controlled Randomized Study of the Selective A1 Adenosine Receptor Antagonist Rolofylline for Patients Hospitalized With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure and Volume Overload to Assess Treatment Effect on Congestion and Renal Function (PROTECT) Study.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2014 BACKGROUND: Acute heart failure is a common reason for admission, and outcome is often poor. Improved prognostic risk stratification may assist in the design of future trials and in patient management. Using data from a large randomized trial, we explored ... Full text Link to item Cite

Renal function trajectories and clinical outcomes in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2014 BACKGROUND: Prior studies have demonstrated adverse risk associated with baseline and worsening renal function in acute heart failure, but none has modeled the trajectories of change in renal function and their impact on outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: We u ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between galectin-3 levels and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist use in heart failure: analysis from HF-ACTION.

Journal Article J Card Fail · January 2014 BACKGROUND: Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a marker of myocardial fibrosis, and elevated levels are associated with adverse outcomes. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) modulate cardiac fibrosis in heart failure (HF) patients and have been shown to impro ... Full text Link to item Cite

Editorial Mentorship

Journal Article Jacc Heart Failure · January 1, 2014 Full text Cite

Heart rate: a prognostic factor and therapeutic target in chronic heart failure. The distinct roles of drugs with heart rate-lowering properties.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2014 Heart rate not only predicts outcome but may also be a therapeutic target in patients with chronic heart failure. Several classes of pharmacological agents can be used to modulate heart rate, including beta-blockers, ivabradine, digoxin, amiodarone, and ve ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical effectiveness of cardiac resynchronization and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy in men and women with heart failure: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Conference Circ Heart Fail · January 2014 BACKGROUND: Many clinical trials have demonstrated a benefit for cardiac resynchronization (CRT) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapies in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, yet questions have been raised with re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Low-dose dopamine or low-dose nesiritide in acute heart failure with renal dysfunction: the ROSE acute heart failure randomized trial.

Journal Article JAMA · December 18, 2013 IMPORTANCE: Small studies suggest that low-dose dopamine or low-dose nesiritide may enhance decongestion and preserve renal function in patients with acute heart failure and renal dysfunction; however, neither strategy has been rigorously tested. OBJECTIVE ... Full text Link to item Cite

Sex-specific acute heart failure phenotypes and outcomes from PROTECT.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2013 AIMS: Differences in manifestation, treatment, and outcomes of acute heart failure between men and women have not been well studied. The objective of this analysis was to characterize differences in clinical presentation, and in-hospital and post-discharge ... Full text Link to item Cite

Differences in treatment, outcomes, and quality of life among patients with heart failure in Canada and the United States.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2013 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes, resource utilization, and health-related quality of life between Canadian and U.S. patients enrolled in ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Hear ... Full text Link to item Cite

It is time to exercise change for heart failure.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · December 2013 Full text Link to item Cite

Soluble ST2 in ambulatory patients with heart failure: Association with functional capacity and long-term outcomes.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2013 BACKGROUND: ST2 is involved in cardioprotective signaling in the myocardium and has been identified as a potentially promising biomarker in heart failure (HF). We evaluated ST2 levels and their association with functional capacity and long-term clinical ou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Anemia and associated clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure due to reduced left ventricular systolic function.

Journal Article Clin Cardiol · October 2013 BACKGROUND: Anemia is associated with decreased functional capacity, reduced quality of life, and worsened outcomes among patients with heart failure (HF) due to reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF). We sought to evaluate the independent effe ... Full text Link to item Cite

Therapeutic implications of biomarkers in chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Clin Pharmacol Ther · October 2013 Understanding of chronic heart failure (HF) has progressed from the concept of a purely hemodynamic disorder to that of a syndrome that results from dysfunction in interconnected molecular pathways. As a result, the focus of research investigations and cli ... Full text Link to item Cite

Learning from recent trials and shaping the future of acute heart failure trials.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2013 The last decade of acute heart failure (HF) research is characterized by disappointments in large phase 2 and 3 pharmacologic studies of therapeutics including calcium-sensitizing agents and antagonists of endothelin, vasopressin, and adenosine. As a resul ... Full text Link to item Cite

The STICH trial (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure): mode-of-death results.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · October 2013 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the effect of the addition of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) to medical therapy on mode of death in heart failure. BACKGROUND: Although CABG therapy is widely used in ischemic cardiomyopathy patients, there a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of nesiritide and predictors of urine output in acute decompensated heart failure: results from ASCEND-HF (acute study of clinical effectiveness of nesiritide and decompensated heart failure).

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · September 24, 2013 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to determine if nesiritide increases diuresis in congestive heart failure patients. BACKGROUND: In the ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide and Decompensated Heart Failure), 7,141 patients hospitalize ... Full text Link to item Cite

The past, present and future of renin-angiotensin aldosterone system inhibition.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · September 1, 2013 The renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) is central to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. RAAS inhibition can reduce blood pressure, prevent target organ damage in hypertension and diabetes, and improve outcomes in patients with heart failu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is thrombosis a contributor to heart failure pathophysiology? Possible mechanisms, therapeutic opportunities, and clinical investigation challenges.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · September 1, 2013 Thrombotic events (coronary thrombosis, venous thromboembolism, intraventricular thrombosis, intracranial and systemic thromboembolism) occur frequently in patients with heart failure. These events may be precipitated by several mechanisms including hyperc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Global variation in quality of care among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure in an international trial: findings from the acute study clinical effectiveness of nesiritide in decompensated heart failure trial (ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · September 1, 2013 BACKGROUND: Translation of evidence-based heart failure (HF) therapies to clinical practice is incomplete and may vary internationally. We examined common measures of quality of care in patients enrolled in the international Acute Study of Clinical Effecti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Race, exercise training, and outcomes in chronic heart failure: findings from Heart Failure - a Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes in Exercise TraiNing (HF-ACTION).

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2013 BACKGROUND: The strength of race as an independent predictor of long-term outcomes in a contemporary chronic heart failure (HF) population and its association with exercise training response have not been well established. We aimed to investigate the assoc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Medical resource use, costs, and quality of life in patients with acute decompensated heart failure: findings from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article J Card Fail · September 2013 BACKGROUND: The Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) randomly assigned 7,141 participants to nesiritide or placebo. Dyspnea improvement was more often reported in the nesiritide group, but there wer ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevention of atrial fibrillation by bucindolol is dependent on the beta₁389 Arg/Gly adrenergic receptor polymorphism.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2013 OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the impact of bucindolol, a beta-blocker/sympatholytic agent, on the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) in advanced chronic heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF) patients enrolled in the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarker-guided therapies in heart failure: a forum for unified strategies.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 2013 The complexity of standard medical treatment for heart failure is growing, and such therapy typically involves 5 or more different medications. Given these pressures, there is increasing interest in harnessing cardiovascular biomarkers for clinical applica ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of amlodipine on the survival of patients with severe chronic heart failure due to a nonischemic cardiomyopathy: results of the PRAISE-2 study (prospective randomized amlodipine survival evaluation 2).

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · August 2013 OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to test the hypothesis of whether amlodipine reduces the risk for death in patients with heart failure due to a nonischemic cardiomyopathy. BACKGROUND: A pre-specified subgroup analysis in an earlier, large-scale, placeb ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart failure in elderly patients: distinctive features and unresolved issues.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · July 2013 The prevalence of heart failure (HF) increases with age. While clinical trials suggest that contemporary evidence-based HF therapies have reduced morbidity and mortality, these trials largely excluded the elderly. Questions remain regarding the clinical ch ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do countries or hospitals with longer hospital stays for acute heart failure have lower readmission rates?: Findings from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · July 2013 BACKGROUND: Hospital readmission is an important clinical outcome of patients with heart failure. Its relation to length of stay for the initial hospitalization is not clear. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used hierarchical modeling of data from a clinical trial ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do we really need more biomarkers?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · June 2013 Full text Link to item Cite

Family history of dilated cardiomyopathy among patients with heart failure from the HF-ACTION genetic ancillary study.

Journal Article Clin Transl Sci · June 2013 BACKGROUND: The value of family history (FH) is well established, but its sensitivity to detect familial dilated cardiomyopathy (FDC) has been infrequently examined. METHODS: A genetic ancillary study was created as a component of the HF-ACTION trial, a mu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of escitalopram on mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia: results of the REMIT trial.

Journal Article JAMA · May 22, 2013 IMPORTANCE: Mental stress can induce myocardial ischemia and also has been implicated in triggering cardiac events. However, pharmacological interventions aimed at reducing mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) have not been well studied. OBJEC ... Full text Link to item Cite

The predictive value of short-term changes in hemoglobin concentration in patients presenting with acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · May 14, 2013 OBJECTIVES: The study sought to investigate the clinical correlates and prognostic role of anemia and changes in hemoglobin in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (AHF). BACKGROUND: Anemia is related to a poor outcome in patients wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bisphosphonate use is associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Journal Article J Bone Miner Res · May 2013 Bisphosphonates have been shown to reduce mortality in patients with osteoporotic fractures, but the mechanism is unclear. Bisphosphonates have immunomodulatory effects that may influence the development of vascular disease. We sought to determine if bisph ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between bilirubin and mode of death in severe systolic heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · April 15, 2013 The bilirubin level has been associated with worse outcomes, but it has not been studied as a predictor for the mode of death in patients with systolic heart failure. The Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Evaluation Study (PRAISE) cohort (including New Yor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dead letter office.

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2013 Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of early dyspnoea relief in acute heart failure and the association with 30-day outcomes: findings from ASCEND-HF.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · April 2013 AIMS: To examine the characteristics associated with early dyspnoea relief during acute heart failure (HF) hospitalization, and its association with 30-day outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS: ASCEND-HF was a randomized trial of nesiritide vs. placebo in 7141 pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors associated with improvement in utilization of cardiac resynchronization therapy in eligible heart failure patients: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Pacing Clin Electrophysiol · April 2013 BACKGROUND: There is a well-recognized gap between the number of patients in whom cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is indicated based on current guidelines and its actual utilization. In the Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Exercise training and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator shocks in patients with heart failure: results from HF-ACTION (Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise TraiNing).

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · April 2013 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether exercise training is associated with an increased risk of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy in patients with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Few data are available regarding ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment of anemia with darbepoetin alfa in systolic heart failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · March 28, 2013 BACKGROUND: Patients with systolic heart failure and anemia have worse symptoms, functional capacity, and outcomes than those without anemia. We evaluated the effects of darbepoetin alfa on clinical outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure and anem ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of phosphodiesterase-5 inhibition on exercise capacity and clinical status in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a randomized clinical trial.

Journal Article JAMA · March 27, 2013 IMPORTANCE: Studies in experimental and human heart failure suggest that phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors may enhance cardiovascular function and thus exercise capacity in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF). OBJECTIVE: To determine the ef ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of anxiety and depression with all-cause mortality in individuals with coronary heart disease.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · March 19, 2013 BACKGROUND: Depression has been related to mortality in coronary heart disease (CHD) patients, but few studies have evaluated the role of anxiety or the role of the co-occurrence of depression and anxiety. We examined whether anxiety is associated with inc ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Association between adrenergic receptor genotypes and beta-blocker dose in heart failure patients: analysis from the HF-ACTION DNA substudy.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2013 AIMS: Beta-blockers reduce morbidity and mortality in chronic heart failure (HF) patients with reduced ejection fraction. However, there is heterogeneity in the response to these drugs, perhaps due to genetic variations in the β1-adrenergic receptor (ADRβ1 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Markers of decongestion, dyspnea relief, and clinical outcomes among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · March 2013 BACKGROUND: Congestion is a primary driver of symptoms in patients with acute heart failure, and relief of congestion is a critical goal of therapy. Monitoring of response to therapy through the assessment of daily weights and net fluid loss is the current ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of bucindolol on heart failure outcomes and heart rate response in patients with reduced ejection fraction heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2013 AIMS: There is little evidence of beta-blocker treatment benefit in patients with heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFREF) and atrial fibrillation (AF). We investigated the effects of bucindolol in HFREF patients with AF enrolle ... Full text Link to item Cite

Baseline characteristics of patients in the Reduction of Events with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure trial (RED-HF).

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 2013 AIMS: This report describes the baseline characteristics of patients in the Reduction of Events with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure trial (RED-HF) which is testing the hypothesis that anaemia correction with darbepoetin alfa will reduce the composite en ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prevalence and clinical characteristics of mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary heart disease.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · February 19, 2013 OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia. BACKGROUND: Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia is prevalent and a risk factor for poor prognosis in patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of beta-blocker use and selectivity with outcomes in patients with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (from OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · February 15, 2013 In patients with heart failure (HF) with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), concerns exist regarding β blockers, particularly noncardioselective β blockers, precipitating bronchospasm or attenuating the benefit of inhaled β(2) agonists. The aim ... Full text Link to item Cite

Why JACC: heart failure?

Journal Article JACC Heart Fail · February 2013 Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical characteristics, response to exercise training, and outcomes in patients with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: findings from Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise TraiNing (HF-ACTION).

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2013 BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, exercise training response, β-blocker selectivity, and outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: We performed a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of documented history of coronary artery disease on outcomes in patients admitted for worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in the EVEREST trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2013 AIMS: Data on the prognosis of heart failure (HF) patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have been conflicting. We describe the clinical characteristics and mode-specific outcomes of HF patients with reduced ejection fraction (EF) and documented CAD i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depressive symptoms and mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary heart disease.

Journal Article Psychosom Med · 2013 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between depressive symptoms and mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: Adult patients with documented CHD were recruited fo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Therapy for mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia - Reply

Journal Article JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association · 2013 Full text Cite

Can we prevent heart failure with exercise?

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · December 18, 2012 Full text Link to item Cite

Ultrafiltration in decompensated heart failure with cardiorenal syndrome.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · December 13, 2012 BACKGROUND: Ultrafiltration is an alternative strategy to diuretic therapy for the treatment of patients with acute decompensated heart failure. Little is known about the efficacy and safety of ultrafiltration in patients with acute decompensated heart fai ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of admission oral diuretic dose on response to continuous versus bolus intravenous diuretics in acute heart failure: an analysis from diuretic optimization strategies in acute heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 2012 BACKGROUND: Results from the DOSE-AHF study suggest that an initial continuous infusion of loop diuretics is not superior to bolus dosing with regard to clinical endpoints in acute heart failure. We hypothesized that outpatient furosemide dose was associat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Atrial fibrillation or flutter on initial electrocardiogram is associated with worse outcomes in patients admitted for worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: findings from the EVEREST Trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 2012 BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) complicated by atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF/AFL) is associated with worse outcomes. However, the clinical profile and outcomes of patients following hospitalization for HF with AF/AFL on initial electrocardiogram (ECG) has ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation between volume of exercise and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · November 6, 2012 OBJECTIVES: This study determined whether greater volumes of exercise were associated with greater reductions in clinical events. BACKGROUND: The HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) trial showed that am ... Full text Link to item Cite

Health status and depression remission in patients with chronic heart failure: patient-reported outcomes from the SADHART-CHF trial.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2012 BACKGROUND: Depression is a common comorbidity in heart failure and is strongly associated with increased mortality, morbidity, and reduced health status. Whether depression treatment may result in improvement of health status in heart failure patients wit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: integrating evidence into clinical practice.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · November 2012 Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) improve survival and reduce morbidity in patients with heart failure, reduced ejection fraction (HF-REF), and mild-to-severe symptoms, and in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart failur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Troponin I in acute decompensated heart failure: insights from the ASCEND-HF study.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · November 2012 AIMS: We examined the prognostic importance of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in a cohort of patients enrolled in the ASCEND-HF study of nesiritide in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Circulating troponins are a prognostic marker in patients with ADHF. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Obesity and the response to intensified diuretic treatment in decompensated heart failure: a DOSE trial substudy.

Journal Article J Card Fail · November 2012 BACKGROUND: Obesity could attenuate diuretic effectiveness in treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: The DOSE trial randomized 308 subjects with acute HF to low- versus high-intensification intravenous diuretic therapy. W ... Full text Link to item Cite

Response to the clarification of the REMIT trial protocol

Journal Article American Heart Journal · November 1, 2012 Full text Cite

Acute heart failure: perspectives from a randomized trial and a simultaneous registry.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2012 BACKGROUND: Randomized controlled trials (RCT) are limited by their generalizability to the broader nontrial population. To provide a context for Acute Study of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF) trial, we designed a complementary regist ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart Failure

Journal Article · October 3, 2012 Full text Cite

Implications of geographical variation on clinical outcomes of cardiovascular trials.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2012 Cardiovascular clinical trials are increasingly conducted globally as a means to reduce costs, expedite timelines, provide broad applicability, and satisfy regulatory authorities. Potential problems with trial globalization include regional differences in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Preferences of people with advanced heart failure-a structured narrative literature review to inform decision making in the palliative care setting.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2012 UNLABELLED: BACKGROUND AND APPROACH: There is a growing emphasis on the need for high-quality and patient-centered palliative care for patients with heart failure (HF) near end of life. Accordingly, clinicians require adequate knowledge of patient values a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of exercise training on depressive symptoms in patients with chronic heart failure: the HF-ACTION randomized trial.

Journal Article JAMA · August 1, 2012 CONTEXT: Depression is common in patients with cardiac disease, especially in patients with heart failure, and is associated with increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Some evidence suggests that aerobic exercise may reduce depressive symptoms, but to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship of beta-blocker dose with outcomes in ambulatory heart failure patients with systolic dysfunction: results from the HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 17, 2012 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to examine the association between baseline beta-blocker (BB) dose and outcomes in the HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) trial. BACKGROUND: Beta-blockers reduce morbidity ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ischemia change in stable coronary artery disease is an independent predictor of death and myocardial infarction.

Journal Article JACC Cardiovasc Imaging · July 2012 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the independent prognostic significance of ischemia change in stable coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND: Recent randomized trials in stable CAD have suggested that revascularization does not improve ... Full text Link to item Cite

The impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: an analysis of the EVEREST Trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · July 2012 BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is prevalent in heart failure (HF) patients, yet these patients are poorly characterized. We aimed to describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients with systolic dysfunction and COPD in a con ... Full text Link to item Cite

B-type natriuretic peptide assessment in ambulatory heart failure patients: insights from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown) · June 2012 BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels provide diagnostic and prognostic information in heart failure. This study determined the frequency of BNP assessment and analyzed demographic characteristics, clinical variables and the utilization of gu ... Full text Link to item Cite

The PROTECT in-hospital risk model: 7-day outcome in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure and renal dysfunction.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2012 AIMS: In patients with acute heart failure (AHF), early worsening heart failure (WHF) predicts a significant proportion of post-discharge readmissions and mortality. We aimed to identify the predictors of 7-day heart failure events or death in patients hos ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bronchodilators in heart failure patients with COPD: is it time for a clinical trial?

Journal Article J Card Fail · May 2012 Chronic heart failure (HF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) commonly coexist, and patients with both diseases fare worse than those with either disease alone. Several factors may contribute to worse outcomes, including an increased burden o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of Clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy with versus without angina pectoris (from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · May 1, 2012 Myocardial ischemic origin is a significant independent predictor of mortality in patients with heart failure (HF). The implications of angina pectoris (AP) in HF are less well characterized. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Assessment of dyspnea in acute decompensated heart failure: insights from ASCEND-HF (Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure) on the contributions of peak expiratory flow.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 17, 2012 OBJECTIVES: This study hypothesized that peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) would increase with acute heart failure (AHF) treatment over the first 24 h, related to a Dyspnea Index (DI) change and treatment effect. BACKGROUND: Dyspnea is a key symptom and cli ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic implications of depression in ischemic syndromes

Journal Article · April 1, 2012 In a nation of almost 300 million people, ischemic heart disease (IHD) and depression remain two of the nation's most pressing public health issues. Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death and hospitalization in the USA, and according to ... Full text Cite

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized heart failure patients with systolic dysfunction and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: findings from OPTIMIZE-HF.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · April 2012 AIMS: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is common in heart failure (HF) patients, yet the population is poorly characterized and associated with conflicting outcomes data. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of HF pati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Novel biomarkers in chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Nat Rev Cardiol · March 27, 2012 Understanding of chronic heart failure (HF) has progressed from a syndrome of disordered hemodynamics caused by alterations in the structure of the heart to one that involves intertwined molecular pathways in disarray. Accordingly, the assessment and treat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Linkages Between Facial Expressions of Anger and Transient Myocardial Ischemia in Men with Coronary Artery Disease

Journal Article · March 22, 2012 This chapter examines linkages between spontaneous facial expressions of emotion and ischemia and examines the relative contributions of hostility and anger to a coronary heart disease-relevant outcome. The dynamic linkages between facial expressions of an ... Full text Cite

Lack of association between electronic health record systems and improvement in use of evidence-based heart failure therapies in outpatient cardiology practices.

Journal Article Clin Cardiol · March 2012 BACKGROUND: Electronic health record systems (EHR) are expected to facilitate higher quality patient care; however, studies evaluating EHR effectiveness in improving care have yielded mixed results. HYPOTHESIS: Implementation of a performance improvement s ... Full text Link to item Cite

The safety of an adenosine A(1)-receptor antagonist, rolofylline, in patients with acute heart failure and renal impairment: findings from PROTECT.

Journal Article Drug Saf · March 1, 2012 BACKGROUND: Adenosine exerts actions in multiple organ systems, and adenosine receptors are a therapeutic target in many development programmes. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate the safety of rolofylline, an adenosine A(1)-receptor antag ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiorenal rescue study in acute decompensated heart failure: rationale and design of CARRESS-HF, for the Heart Failure Clinical Research Network.

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2012 BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function is common among patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). When this occurs, subsequent management decisions often pit the desire for effective decongestion against concerns about further worsen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Incremental Reduction in Risk of Death Associated With Use of Guideline-Recommended Therapies in Patients With Heart Failure: A Nested Case-Control Analysis of IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article J Am Heart Assoc · February 2012 BACKGROUND: Several therapies are guideline-recommended to reduce mortality in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, but the incremental clinical effectiveness of these therapies has not been well studied. We aime ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors associated with improvement in guideline-based use of ICDs in eligible heart failure patients.

Journal Article Pacing Clin Electrophysiol · February 2012 BACKGROUND: IMPROVE HF, a 24-month performance improvement initiative for outpatient cardiology and multispecialty practices, demonstrated significant improvement in guideline-based use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for patients with he ... Full text Link to item Cite

Long-term survival of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy treated by coronary artery bypass grafting versus medical therapy.

Journal Article Ann Thorac Surg · February 2012 BACKGROUND: We prospectively applied the Surgical Treatment of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy trial entry criteria to an observational database to determine whether coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) decreases mortality compared with medical therapy (MED) for ... Full text Link to item Cite

Plasma omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and survival in patients with chronic heart failure and major depressive disorder.

Journal Article J Cardiovasc Transl Res · February 2012 The omega-3 fatty acid (FA) concentration is low in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Supplement of omega-3 FA improves cardiovascular outcomes in patients with CHD and heart failure (HF). However, plasma omega-3 FA and its role for prognosis in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Significance of hyponatremia in heart failure.

Journal Article Heart Fail Rev · January 2012 Heart failure is one of the most common, costly, disabling and growing diseases (McMurray and Pfeffer in Lancet 365(9474):1877-1889, 2005). Hyponatremia, conventionally defined as a serum-sodium concentration equal or less than 135 mmol/l (American Heart A ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors associated with improvement in ejection fraction in clinical practice among patients with heart failure: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2012 BACKGROUND: Available data suggest that improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a major predictor of improved survival in heart failure (HF). Although certain factors are associated with improvements in LVEF in select patients with HF e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Responses of mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia to escitalopram treatment: background, design, and method for the Responses of Mental Stress Induced Myocardial Ischemia to Escitalopram Treatment trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2012 BACKGROUND: Mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia (MSIMI) is common in patients with clinically stable coronary heart disease (CHD) and is associated with poor outcomes. Depression is a risk factor of MSIMI. The REMIT trial investigates whether selecti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Race and improvements in the use of guideline-recommended therapies for patients with heart failure: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article J Natl Med Assoc · 2012 BACKGROUND: Race is associated with differences in use of guideline-recommended therapies for patients with heart failure (HF). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a practice-based performance improvement intervention is associated with similar improvements in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Combinatorial pharmacogenetic interactions of bucindolol and β1, α2C adrenergic receptor polymorphisms.

Journal Article PLoS One · 2012 BACKGROUND: Pharmacogenetics involves complex interactions of gene products affecting pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, but there is little information on the interaction of multiple genetic modifiers of drug response. Bucindolol is a β-blocker/sympat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Medication dosing in outpatients with heart failure after implementation of a practice-based performance improvement intervention: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Congest Heart Fail · 2012 Eligible outpatients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) frequently do not receive target doses of HF medications. The Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of depression and survival in patients with chronic heart failure over 12 Years.

Journal Article Psychosomatics · 2012 OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between depression and survival in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) over a 12-year follow-up period. BACKGROUND: The survival associated with depression has been demonstrated in HF patients for up to 7 years. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors related to morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure with systolic dysfunction: the HF-ACTION predictive risk score model.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2012 BACKGROUND: We aimed to develop a multivariable statistical model for risk stratification in patients with chronic heart failure with systolic dysfunction, using patient data that are routinely collected and easily obtained at the time of initial presentat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Galectin-3 in ambulatory patients with heart failure: results from the HF-ACTION study.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2012 BACKGROUND: Galectin-3 is a soluble ß-galactoside-binding lectin released by activated cardiac macrophages. Elevated levels of galectin-3 have been found to be associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure. We evaluated the association be ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hyponatremia and long-term outcomes in chronic heart failure--an observational study from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Diseases.

Journal Article J Card Fail · January 2012 BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia is a well known predictor of short-term outcomes in heart failure (HF); however, its impact on long-term survival in HF patients with systolic dysfunction is not well established. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the Duke Databank for Ca ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reduction in body weight but worsening renal function with late ultrafiltration for treatment of acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article Cardiology · 2012 OBJECTIVES: The safety, effectiveness and indications for ultrafiltration (UF) are not well established. We hypothesized that UF would not worsen renal function in patients with heart failure (HF) who were not responding to medical therapy. METHODS: Data w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Link between decisions regarding resuscitation and preferences for quality over length of life with heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2012 AIMS: Survival preferences, ascertained from time-trade-off utilities, have not been studied in heart failure patients who designate a 'do not resuscitate' (DNR) status. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the association of heart failure pat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mode of death and hospitalization from the Second Follow-up Serial Infusions of Nesiritide (FUSION II) trial and comparison of clinical events committee adjudicated versus investigator reported outcomes.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · November 15, 2011 The aim of this study was to evaluate the mode of death and hospitalizations in advanced heart failure (HF) patients with renal dysfunction and to examine the rate of concordance between events reported by the clinical events committee and site investigato ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of serial troponin release on outcomes in patients with acute heart failure: analysis from the PROTECT pilot study.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · November 2011 BACKGROUND: Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) elevation is common and is a predictor of outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). The degree and progression of cTnT release during hospitalization of patients with AHF is unclear. We evaluated the inciden ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trends in the use of diagnostic coronary angiography, percutaneous coronary intervention, and coronary artery bypass graft surgery across North Carolina.

Journal Article Am Heart J · November 2011 BACKGROUND: Although variation in use of invasive coronary procedures has been shown, the relationship between invasive diagnostic cardiac catheterization (Cath) and subsequent revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary art ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dangerous diuretics or death defying drugs?

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · November 2011 Full text Link to item Cite

Nesiritide in acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · October 20, 2011 Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiorenal syndrome clinical trial end points.

Journal Article Heart Fail Clin · October 2011 Cardiorenal syndrome is a focus of interest in heart failure because of the substantial associated morbidity and mortality. Recent clinical trials of novel heart failure therapies targeting the interdependence of cardiac and renal dysfunction have failed t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Covariate adjustment in heart failure randomized controlled clinical trials: a case analysis of the HF-ACTION trial.

Journal Article Heart Fail Clin · October 2011 Randomized controlled clinical trials are predominantly used to determine the benefit of a therapeutic intervention in patients with congestive heart failure (HF). These trials are commonly lengthy and expensive, and enroll patients with baseline imbalance ... Full text Link to item Cite

A double-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter study to assess the safety and cardiovascular effects of skeletal myoblast implantation by catheter delivery in patients with chronic heart failure after myocardial infarction.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2011 BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the safety and preliminary efficacy of transcatheter intramyocardial administration of myoblasts in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: MARVEL is a randomized placebo-controlled trial of image-guided, catheter-base ... Full text Link to item Cite

Lessons learned from clinical trials in acute heart failure: phase 3 drug trials.

Journal Article Heart Fail Clin · October 2011 Phase 3 clinical trials in acute heart failure are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for the evaluation of treatment strategies, including drugs, devices, diagnostics, or nonpharmacological interventions. There are several importa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization of heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction: a comparison between ADHERE-US registry and ADHERE-International registry.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · September 2011 AIMS: To characterize geographic differences in clinical characteristics and care of patients hospitalized with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HF-PEF). METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data on 61 182 admissions in 307 US hospitals from March 2004 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Admission, discharge, or change in B-type natriuretic peptide and long-term outcomes: data from Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF) linked to Medicare claims.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · September 2011 BACKGROUND: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been associated with short- and long-term postdischarge prognosis among hospitalized patients with heart failure. It is unknown if admission, discharge, or change from admission to discharge BNP measure is t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of global region on outcomes in heart failure β-blocker trials.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 23, 2011 OBJECTIVES: We sought to describe the United States and the rest of the world (ROW) outcomes from the major β-blocker heart failure (HF) trials. BACKGROUND: HF trials have demonstrated differences in outcomes by geographic region. METHODS: Randomized, doub ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of peripheral arterial disease on functional and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (from HF-ACTION).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · August 1, 2011 Patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) have lower functional capacity and worse clinical outcomes than age- and gender-matched patients. Few data exist on the relation of PAD to functional and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). ... Full text Link to item Cite

The STARBRITE trial: a randomized, pilot study of B-type natriuretic peptide-guided therapy in patients with advanced heart failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 2011 BACKGROUND: STARBRITE, a multicenter randomized pilot trial, tested whether outpatient diuretic management guided by B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and clinical assessment resulted in more days alive and not hospitalized over 90 days compared with clinic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of nesiritide in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · July 7, 2011 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Nesiritide is approved in the United States for early relief of dyspnea in patients with acute heart failure. Previous meta-analyses have raised questions regarding renal toxicity and the mortality associated with this agent. METHODS: We random ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiogenic shock and heart failure post-percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-elevation myocardial infarction: observations from "Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction".

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2011 BACKGROUND: Mortality after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has reduced with reperfusion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which may have impacted on the adverse outcomes of cardiogenic shock (CS) and congestive heart failure ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship of technetium-99m tetrofosmin-gated rest single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging to death and hospitalization in heart failure patients: results from the nuclear ancillary study of the HF-ACTION trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2011 BACKGROUND: We hypothesized that the severity of resting perfusion abnormalities assessed by the summed rest score (SRS) would be associated with a higher rate of adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and reduced left ventricular (LV) ejecti ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early dyspnoea relief in acute heart failure: prevalence, association with mortality, and effect of rolofylline in the PROTECT Study.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · June 2011 AIMS: Dyspnoea and pulmonary and/or peripheral congestion are the most frequent manifestations of acute heart failure (AHF) and are important targets for therapy. We have assessed changes in dyspnoea, their relationship with mortality, and the effects of t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of the adenosine A1 receptor antagonist rolofylline on renal function in patients with acute heart failure and renal dysfunction: results from PROTECT (Placebo-Controlled Randomized Study of the Selective Adenosine A1 Receptor Antagonist Rolofylline for Patients Hospitalized with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure and Volume Overload to Assess Treatment Effect on Congestion and Renal Function).

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · May 10, 2011 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the effects of rolofylline on renal function in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and renal dysfunction randomized in PROTECT (Placebo-Controlled Randomized Study of the Selective A(1) Adenosine Receptor Antago ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bucindolol: new hopes from reviewing past data.

Journal Article Drugs Today (Barc) · May 2011 β-Adrenoceptor antagonists or β-blockers are a cornerstone of therapy in chronic heart failure (CHF). Bucindolol hydrochloride is a fourth-generation β-blocker in development for the treatment of CHF. Two trials have been conducted to evaluate its use in C ... Full text Link to item Cite

Coronary-artery bypass surgery in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · April 28, 2011 BACKGROUND: The role of coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) in the treatment of patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure has not been clearly established. METHODS: Between July 2002 and May 2007, a total of 1212 patients with an ejection ... Full text Link to item Cite

Associations between outpatient heart failure process-of-care measures and mortality.

Journal Article Circulation · April 19, 2011 BACKGROUND: Assessment of the quality of care for outpatients with heart failure (HF) has focused on the development and use of process-based performance measures, with the supposition that these care process measures are associated with clinical outcomes. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diuretic strategies in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · March 3, 2011 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Loop diuretics are an essential component of therapy for patients with acute decompensated heart failure, but there are few prospective data to guide their use. METHODS: In a prospective, double-blind, randomized trial, we assigned 308 patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Coping effectively with heart failure (COPE-HF): design and rationale of a telephone-based coping skills intervention.

Journal Article J Card Fail · March 2011 BACKGROUND: Coping Effectively with Heart Failure (COPE-HF) is an ongoing randomized clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health to evaluate if a coping skills training (CST) intervention will result in improved health status and quality of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Strategic lessons from the clinical event classification process for the Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX-AMI) trial.

Journal Article Contemp Clin Trials · March 2011 BACKGROUND: Independent adjudication of clinical trial events is traditionally performed by physicians on a clinical event classification (CEC) committee. OBJECTIVES: The experience of the centralized CEC group of the APEX-AMI trial is described. This grou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characteristics of depression remission and its relation with cardiovascular outcome among patients with chronic heart failure (from the SADHART-CHF Study).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · February 15, 2011 Depression is prevalent in patients with heart failure and is associated with a significant increase in hospitalizations and death. Primary results of the Sertraline Against Depression and Heart Disease in Chronic Heart Failure (SADHART-CHF) trial revealed ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical development of pharmacologic agents for acute heart failure syndromes: a proposal for a mechanistic translational phase.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2011 Hospitalization for acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) predicts a poor prognosis, with postdischarge mortality and rehospitalization rates reaching 45% within 60 to 90 days. Despite the use of evidence-based therapies and adherence to national process me ... Full text Link to item Cite

Worsening depressive symptoms are associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 25, 2011 Featured Publication OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of changes in symptoms of depression over a 1-year period on subsequent clinical outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients. BACKGROUND: Emerging evidence shows that clinical depression, which is ... Full text Link to item Cite

patient and practice factors associated with improvement in use of guideline-recommended therapies for outpatients with heart failure (from the IMPROVE HF trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2011 Diverse factors are associated with variations in evidence-based treatment of outpatients with heart failure (HF). However, patient and practice characteristics associated with improved use of guideline-recommended therapies over time have not been well st ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prospective evaluation of the association between cardiac troponin T and markers of disturbed erythropoiesis in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 2010 BACKGROUND: Elevated cardiac troponin T is a well-documented marker of cardiomyocyte damage and poor prognosis in patients with heart failure. We prospectively evaluated the relationship between this marker and hematopoietic disturbances in heart failure. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Equitable improvement for women and men in the use of guideline-recommended therapies for heart failure: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article J Card Fail · December 2010 BACKGROUND: Although sex-based disparities in use of guideline-recommended heart failure (HF) therapies have been described, little is known about whether performance improvement (PI) initiatives produce equitable improvements in guideline-recommended ther ... Full text Link to item Cite

United States stock market performance and acute myocardial infarction rates in 2008-2009 (from the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · December 1, 2010 We sought to examine the relation between the United States economic decrease in 2008 and cardiovascular events as measured by local acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rates. Mental stress and traumatic events have been shown to be associated with increased ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression after myocardial infarction.

Journal Article Curr Heart Fail Rep · December 2010 Depression is an important disease state that requires significant time and resources to manage properly. The presence of depression in patients with cardiovascular disease has been strongly associated with detrimental effects in terms of morbidity and mor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Uric acid level and allopurinol use as risk markers of mortality and morbidity in systolic heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · November 2010 BACKGROUND: Previous studies have not extensively examined the association of hyperuricemia and adverse outcomes in systolic heart failure (HF) in relation to xanthine oxidase inhibitor therapy. METHODS: The Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evalu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Haemodynamic effects of rolofylline in the treatment of patients with heart failure and impaired renal function.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · November 2010 AIMS: The direct effects of adenosine A1 receptor antagonists on haemodynamic parameters in patients with acute heart failure (HF) remain largely unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the haemodynamic effects of the AA(1)RA rolofylline in 59 HF patien ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rolofylline, an adenosine A1-receptor antagonist, in acute heart failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · October 7, 2010 BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function, which is associated with adverse outcomes, often develops in patients with acute heart failure. Experimental and clinical studies suggest that counterregulatory responses mediated by adenosine may be involved. We teste ... Full text Link to item Cite

The STICH trial: evidence-based conclusions.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · October 2010 Full text Link to item Cite

Determination of hospitalization type by investigator case report form or adjudication committee in a large heart failure clinical trial (β-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial [BEST]).

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2010 BACKGROUND: End point committees are routinely used to adjudicate efficacy and safety end points in clinical trials. The 2,708-patient β-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial (BEST) originally determined hospitalization type via investigator case report for ... Full text Link to item Cite

Troponin elevation in heart failure prevalence, mechanisms, and clinical implications.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · September 28, 2010 Circulating biomarkers have become increasingly important in diagnosing and risk stratifying patients with heart failure (HF). While the natriuretic peptides have received much focus, there is increasing interest in the role of circulating cardiac troponin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of medical therapy dosing in outpatients cared for in cardiology practices with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction with and without device therapy: report from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · September 2010 BACKGROUND: Few data exist to characterize the delivery of evidence-based medical therapy for outpatients with heart failure who have received implantable cardioverter-defibrillators or cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for systolic dysfunction. METH ... Full text Link to item Cite

Phobic anxiety and increased risk of mortality in coronary heart disease.

Journal Article Psychosom Med · September 2010 OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether phobic anxiety is associated with increased risk of cardiac mortality in individuals with established coronary heart disease (CHD) and to examine the role of reduced heart rate variability (HRV) in mediating this risk. Previ ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

The effects of adenosine A(1) receptor antagonism in patients with acute decompensated heart failure and worsening renal function: the REACH UP study.

Journal Article J Card Fail · September 2010 BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function (WRF) portends a poor prognosis, and recent deterioration in creatinine might identify patients with elevated intrarenal adenosine in whom adenosine A(1) antagonism may improve renal hemodynamics and function. The purpo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Safety and efficacy of sertraline for depression in patients with heart failure: results of the SADHART-CHF (Sertraline Against Depression and Heart Disease in Chronic Heart Failure) trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 24, 2010 Featured Publication OBJECTIVES: The objective was to test the hypothesis that heart failure (HF) patients treated with sertraline will have lower depression scores and fewer cardiovascular events compared with placebo. BACKGROUND: Depression is common among HF patients. It is ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improving evidence-based care for heart failure in outpatient cardiology practices: primary results of the Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting (IMPROVE HF).

Journal Article Circulation · August 10, 2010 BACKGROUND: A treatment gap exists between heart failure (HF) guidelines and the clinical care of patients. The Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting (IMPROVE HF) prospectively tested a multidimensi ... Full text Link to item Cite

STICH (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure) trial enrollment.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 3, 2010 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to assess the influence of enrolling site location and enrollment performance on the generalizability of STICH (Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure) trial results. BACKGROUND: The international STICH trial se ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cell therapy for heart failure: the need for a new therapeutic strategy.

Journal Article Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther · August 2010 Improvements in the treatment of ischemic heart disease have led to a significant growth in the numbers of patients with systolic heart failure secondary to myocardial injury. Current therapies fail to address the loss of contractile tissue due to myocardi ... Full text Link to item Cite

A review of dyspnea in acute heart failure syndromes.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2010 In acute heart failure syndrome (AHFS), dyspnea is one of the most common but least understood presenting symptoms for hospitalization. For this reason, dyspnea relief is increasingly becoming a focus in the development of therapies for the treatment of AH ... Full text Link to item Cite

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute working group on emergency department management of acute heart failure: research challenges and opportunities.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 27, 2010 This paper details the substance and recommendations arising from a meeting convened by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in August 2009, to assess the challenges and opportunities of emergency department management of acute heart failure syndr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Single-photon emission computed tomography myocardial perfusion imaging and the risk of sudden cardiac death in patients with coronary disease and left ventricular ejection fraction>35%.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 13, 2010 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is an effective method of risk stratification for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in patients with coronary artery d ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarker guided therapy for heart failure: focus on natriuretic peptides.

Journal Article Heart Fail Rev · July 2010 The management of heart failure remains challenging despite many therapeutic advances. Rigorous clinical trial evidence supports administration of multiple therapies, but utilization of evidence-based treatment remains inconsistent and suboptimal. Disease ... Full text Link to item Cite

Economic evaluation of the HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) randomized controlled trial: an exercise training study of patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes · July 2010 BACKGROUND: Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) assigned 2331 outpatients with medically stable heart failure to exercise training or usual care. We compared medical resource use and costs incurred by t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is rhythm-control superior to rate-control in patients with atrial fibrillation and diastolic heart failure?

Journal Article Ann Noninvasive Electrocardiol · July 2010 BACKGROUND: Although no clinical trial data exist on the optimal management of atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with diastolic heart failure, it has been hypothesized that rhythm-control is more advantageous than rate-control due to the dependence of t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Randomized clinical trial of quick-release bromocriptine among patients with type 2 diabetes on overall safety and cardiovascular outcomes.

Journal Article Diabetes Care · July 2010 OBJECTIVE: Quick-release bromocriptine (bromocriptine-QR), a D2 dopamine receptor agonist, is indicated as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The Cycloset Safety Trial, a 52-week, randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial, evaluated the overall safety and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Outpatient cardiology practices with advanced practice nurses and physician assistants provide similar delivery of recommended therapies (findings from IMPROVE HF).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 15, 2010 National guidelines recommend a team model of care to facilitate adherence to evidence-based practices; however, previous studies suggesting benefit may have limited generalizability. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of advanced practice ... Full text Link to item Cite

Continuous versus bolus dosing of Furosemide for patients hospitalized for heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 15, 2010 Intravenous diuretics are the cornerstone of management for patients hospitalized for heart failure. Physiologic data suggest that intermittent high-dose furosemide promotes neurohormonal activation, which a slow continuous infusion might remediate. Howeve ... Full text Link to item Cite

Safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use prior to coronary artery bypass grafting.

Journal Article Clin Cardiol · June 2010 BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been shown to increase bleeding risks. This study examined the association of perioperative coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) bleeding risks and SSRI use prior to CABG. HYPOTHESIS: SSRI ... Full text Link to item Cite

Metabolomic differences in heart failure patients with and without major depression.

Journal Article J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol · June 2010 Metabolomics is an emerging technology that allows researchers to characterize hundreds of small molecules that comprise the metabolome. We sought to determine metabolic differences in depressed and nondepressed participants. The sample consisted of a depr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Causes of death and rehospitalization in patients hospitalized with worsening heart failure and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction: results from Efficacy of Vasopressin Antagonism in Heart Failure Outcome Study with Tolvaptan (EVEREST) program.

Journal Article Am Heart J · May 2010 BACKGROUND: The postdischarge rehospitalization and death rates are high in patients with acute heart failure (HF) syndromes despite optimization of standard therapy for chronic HF. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no systematic analysis of the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dyspnoea in patients with acute heart failure: an analysis of its clinical course, determinants, and relationship to 60-day outcomes in the PROTECT pilot study.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · May 2010 AIMS: Dyspnoea is the most common symptom leading to hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF). Its early and persistent relief is an important goal of therapy, but little is known about its course, determinants, and prognostic significance. METHODS AN ... Full text Link to item Cite

Combined heart failure device diagnostics identify patients at higher risk of subsequent heart failure hospitalizations: results from PARTNERS HF (Program to Access and Review Trending Information and Evaluate Correlation to Symptoms in Patients With Heart Failure) study.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 27, 2010 OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the utility of combined heart failure (HF) device diagnostic information to predict clinical deterioration of HF in patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction. BACKGROUND: Some implantable devices continuously mo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of renal function on the use of guideline-recommended therapies for patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · April 15, 2010 Guidelines have been established for the treatment of patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular dysfunction, but renal dysfunction might limit adherence to these guidelines. Few data have characterized the use of guideline-recommended therapy f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Electronic health records and quality of care for heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2010 BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHRs) are considered an important technology to improve the quality of health care, yet few data exist regarding their effect on delivery of evidence-based care in the outpatient setting. METHODS: IMPROVE HF is a pros ... Full text Link to item Cite

Triage after hospitalization with advanced heart failure: the ESCAPE (Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness) risk model and discharge score.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · March 2, 2010 Featured Publication OBJECTIVES: Identifying high-risk heart failure (HF) patients at hospital discharge may allow more effective triage to management strategies. BACKGROUND: Heart failure severity at presentation predicts outcomes, but the prognostic importance of clinical st ... Full text Link to item Cite

No laughing matter.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · February 23, 2010 Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of dedicated heart failure clinics on delivery of recommended therapies in outpatient cardiology practices: findings from the Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in the Outpatient Setting (IMPROVE HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2010 BACKGROUND: National guidelines recommend heart failure (HF) disease management programs to facilitate adherence to evidence-based practices. This study examined the influence of dedicated HF clinics on delivery of guideline-recommended therapies for cardi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does aspirin use adversely influence intermediate-term postdischarge outcomes for hospitalized patients who are treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers? Findings from Organized Program to Facilitate Life-Saving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2010 BACKGROUND: Conflicting data exist regarding a potential deleterious association between aspirin (ASA) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) when used concurrently in patients with heart failure (HF). How such an interaction may be influence ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adherence to guideline-recommended adjunctive heart failure therapies among outpatient cardiology practices (findings from IMPROVE HF).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2010 Although previous studies have documented adherence with certain established heart failure (HF) quality metrics in outpatient cardiology practices, the extent to which there is conformity with other evidence-based, guideline-driven quality metrics in outpa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mechanical complications after percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (from APEX-AMI).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 1, 2010 A decrease in mechanical complications after ST-elevation myocardial infarction may have contributed to improved survival rates associated with reperfusion by primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Mechanical complications occurred in 52 of 5,74 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design and rationale of the PROTECT study: a placebo-controlled randomized study of the selective A1 adenosine receptor antagonist rolofylline for patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure and volume overload to assess treatment effect on congestion and renal function.

Journal Article J Card Fail · January 2010 BACKGROUND: Current treatment for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is associated with incomplete resolution of symptoms and signs, recurrent symptoms of heart failure in-hospital and after discharge and high mortality. Studies have consistently dem ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical effectiveness of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators among medicare beneficiaries with heart failure.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2010 BACKGROUND: The clinical effectiveness of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in older patients with heart failure has not been established, and older patients have been underrepresented in previous studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: We identified pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Physician-determined worsening heart failure: a novel definition for early worsening heart failure in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure--association with signs and symptoms, hospitalization duration, and 60-day outcomes.

Journal Article Cardiology · 2010 OBJECTIVES: To evaluate physician-determined worsening heart failure (PD-WHF) in patients admitted with acute heart failure (AHF). METHODS: The PROTECT pilot study evaluated rolofylline, an adenosine A(1) receptor antagonist, versus placebo in patients wit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in patients hospitalized for heart failure with chronically reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

Journal Article Am J Ther · 2010 The aim of this study was to investigate the association between implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) status at the time of hospitalization for worsening heart failure (HF) with postdischarge events in patients with reduced left ventricular ejectio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evidence of clinical practice heterogeneity in the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators in heart failure and post-myocardial infarction left ventricular dysfunction: Findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Heart Rhythm · December 2009 BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) for selected patients with chronic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) to improve survival, yet ICD treatment rates for eligible patients with LVD or heart failure (HF) ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiac resynchronization therapy utilization for heart failure: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 2009 BACKGROUND: Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has established efficacy for patients with systolic heart failure (HF). Treatment rates and factors associated with CRT utilization among eligible patients in outpatient cardiology practices have not been ... Full text Link to item Cite

Coping styles in heart failure patients with depressive symptoms.

Journal Article J Psychosom Res · October 2009 OBJECTIVE: Elevated depressive symptoms have been linked to poorer prognosis in heart failure (HF) patients. Our objective was to identify coping styles associated with depressive symptoms in HF patients. METHODS: A total of 222 stable HF patients (32.75% ... Full text Link to item Cite

Myocardial perfusion, function, and dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure: baseline results from the single-photon emission computed tomography imaging ancillary study of the Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise TraiNing (HF-ACTION) Trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2009 BACKGROUND: There are currently limited data on the relationships between resting perfusion abnormalities, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, and exercise capacity as defined by peak VO(2) and 6-m ... Full text Link to item Cite

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and exercise capacity in chronic heart failure: data from the Heart Failure and a Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) study.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2009 OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and exercise capacity in a large contemporary cohort of patients with chronic heart failure. BACKGROUND: Natriuretic peptides such as NT-proBNP are importa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Early worsening heart failure in patients admitted with acute heart failure--a new outcome measure associated with long-term prognosis?

Journal Article Fundam Clin Pharmacol · October 2009 A major limitation in acute heart failure (AHF) research has been the lack of an outcome measure paralleling re-infarction in acute coronary syndromes. The aim of the present study was to assess the time course, prognostic factors and outcome of early wors ... Full text Link to item Cite

Method for establishing authorship in a multicenter clinical trial.

Journal Article Ann Intern Med · September 15, 2009 With the emergence of large multicenter trials over the past 20 years, the numbers of investigators involved and publications resulting from each study have grown exponentially. An efficient, fair, and effective way to establish authorship on study-related ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarker-guided therapy in chronic heart failure: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2009 BACKGROUND: Measurement of circulating natriuretic peptides has been shown to play an important role in diagnosis and prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure. Whether serial natriuretic peptide measurements to aid in the titration of therapy can i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Design of the Reduction of Events with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure (RED-HF): a Phase III, anaemia correction, morbidity-mortality trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2009 BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure (HF) and anaemia have greater functional impairment, worse symptoms, increased rates of hospital admission, and a higher risk of death, compared with non-anaemic HF patients. Whether correcting anaemia can improve ou ... Full text Link to item Cite

Age- and gender-related differences in quality of care and outcomes of patients hospitalized with heart failure (from OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · July 1, 2009 Previous studies have suggested that female and elderly patients with heart failure (HF) are less likely to receive guideline-recommended therapies, but these studies have involved select patient populations. We evaluated the differences in medical care an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using genetic information to select treatment for patients with heart failure: has the time come?

Journal Article Per Med · July 2009 Personalized medicine is the concept of patient care becoming individualized based on distinctive characteristics. Pharmacogenetics is an application of personalized medicine, which may allow us to predict response to treatment based on an individual's gen ... Full text Link to item Cite

End points for clinical trials in acute heart failure syndromes.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 16, 2009 Acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality, in part because the development of new therapies for these disorders has been marked by frequent failure and little success. The heterogeneity of current approaches to AH ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of coronary angiography on the utilization of therapies in patients with acute heart failure syndromes: findings from Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2009 BACKGROUND: Most patients hospitalized for acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) carry a diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD), but coronary angiography is infrequently performed. This purpose of this study was to determine the influence of coronary an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prospective assessment of the occurrence of anemia in patients with heart failure: results from the Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population (STAMINA-HFP) Registry.

Journal Article Am Heart J · May 2009 BACKGROUND: Although a potentially important pathophysiologic factor in heart failure, the prevalence and predictors of anemia have not been well studied in unselected patients with heart failure. METHODS: The Study of Anemia in a Heart Failure Population ... Full text Link to item Cite

Amiodarone for the prevention of sudden cardiac death: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · May 2009 AIMS: Not all patients at risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD) are eligible for, or have access to implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) implantation. There are conflicting data regarding the efficacy and safety of amiodarone for the prevention of SC ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of depression to severity of illness in heart failure (from Heart Failure And a Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training [HF-ACTION]).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · May 1, 2009 Depression is common in patients with heart failure (HF), prognostic for adverse outcomes and purportedly related to disease severity. Psychological and physiologic factors relevant to HF were assessed in HF-ACTION, a large randomized study of aerobic exer ... Full text Link to item Cite

Coronary bypass surgery with or without surgical ventricular reconstruction.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · April 23, 2009 BACKGROUND: Surgical ventricular reconstruction is a specific procedure designed to reduce left ventricular volume in patients with heart failure caused by coronary artery disease. We conducted a trial to address the question of whether surgical ventricula ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of exercise training on health status in patients with chronic heart failure: HF-ACTION randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article JAMA · April 8, 2009 Featured Publication CONTEXT: Findings from previous studies of the effects of exercise training on patient-reported health status have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: To test the effects of exercise training on health status among patients with heart failure. DESIGN, SETTING, A ... Full text Link to item Cite

Efficacy and safety of exercise training in patients with chronic heart failure: HF-ACTION randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article JAMA · April 8, 2009 Featured Publication CONTEXT: Guidelines recommend that exercise training be considered for medically stable outpatients with heart failure. Previous studies have not had adequate statistical power to measure the effects of exercise training on clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and clinical outcomes in heart failure: an OPTIMIZE-HF analysis.

Journal Article Am J Med · April 2009 BACKGROUND: Depression is a risk factor of excessive morbidity and mortality in heart failure. We examined in-hospital treatment and postdischarge outcomes in hospitalized heart failure patients with a documented history of depression from the Organized Pr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of patient age and sex on delivery of guideline-recommended heart failure care in the outpatient cardiology practice setting: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2009 BACKGROUND: The influence of patient age and sex on delivery of guideline-recommended heart failure (HF) therapies in contemporary outpatient settings has not been well studied. The Registry to Improve the Use of Evidence-Based Heart Failure Therapies in t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Randomized trial of warfarin, aspirin, and clopidogrel in patients with chronic heart failure: the Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Chronic Heart Failure (WATCH) trial.

Journal Article Circulation · March 31, 2009 BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity. The role of antithrombotic therapy in patients with chronic heart failure has long been debated. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal antithrombotic age ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiac resynchronization therapy reduces the risk of hospitalizations in patients with advanced heart failure: results from the Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing and Defibrillation in Heart Failure (COMPANION) trial.

Journal Article Circulation · February 24, 2009 BACKGROUND: In the Comparison of Medical Therapy, Pacing and Defibrillation in Heart Failure (COMPANION) trial, 1520 patients with advanced heart failure were assigned in a 1:2:2 ratio to optimal pharmacological therapy or optimal pharmacological therapy p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale and design of the Acute Study of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Decompensated Heart Failure Trial (ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2009 BACKGROUND: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a major public health burden with significant mortality and morbidity. Nesiritide is a recombinantly produced intravenous formulation of human B-type natriuretic peptide that promotes vasodilation and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Standardizing care for acute decompensated heart failure in a large megatrial: the approach for the Acute Studies of Clinical Effectiveness of Nesiritide in Subjects with Decompensated Heart Failure (ASCEND-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2009 Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a major public health issue and remains a heterogeneous, complex, and difficult condition to manage. Although novel acute therapies are being tested in large randomized clinical trials, opportunities exist to imp ... Full text Link to item Cite

BNP-guided therapy for heart failure.

Journal Article JAMA · January 28, 2009 Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical effectiveness of beta-blockers in heart failure: findings from the OPTIMIZE-HF (Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure) Registry.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 13, 2009 OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine associations between initiation of beta-blocker therapy and outcomes among elderly patients hospitalized for heart failure. BACKGROUND: Beta-blockers are guideline-recommended therapy for heart failure, but their clinical e ... Full text Link to item Cite

Loop diuretics in acute decompensated heart failure: necessary? Evil? A necessary evil?

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · January 2009 Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a common and highly morbid cardiovascular disorder. Most hospitalizations for ADHF are related to symptoms of congestion, and the vast majority of ADHF patients are treated with intravenous loop diuretics. Despit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Stress and parental care in a wild Teleost fish: insights from exogenous supraphysiological cortisol implants.

Journal Article Physiol Biochem Zool · 2009 Male largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) provide sole parental care over a 4-6-wk period to a single brood, fanning the eggs to keep them oxygenated and free of silt and defending the brood until the offspring develop antipredator tactics. During this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of weight change with subsequent outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 1, 2009 The association of weight loss achieved through various decongestive strategies with clinical outcomes in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF) is not well described. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between weight change ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rapid clinical assessment of patients with acute heart failure: first blood pressure and oxygen saturation--is that all we need?

Journal Article Cardiology · 2009 UNLABELLED: The risk stratification of patients with acute heart failure (AHF) has been addressed repeatedly in recent years. Low oxygen saturation (SaO2) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) are signs of impending respiratory and circulatory failure that can ... Full text Link to item Cite

Psychological support in acute heart failure syndrome

Journal Article · December 1, 2008 Mr. L. is a 62-year-old Native American with a past medical history significant for coronary artery disease status post-myocardial infarction and four-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting 2 years ago, as well as known heart failure with a left ventricula ... Full text Cite

The heart failure clinic: a consensus statement of the Heart Failure Society of America.

Journal Article J Card Fail · December 2008 BACKGROUND: Outpatient care accounts for a significant proportion of total heart failure (HF) expenditures. This observation, plus an expanding list of treatment options, has led to the development of the disease-specific HF clinic. METHODS AND RESULTS: Th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dosing of beta-blocker therapy before, during, and after hospitalization for heart failure (from Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · December 1, 2008 Heart failure (HF) guidelines recommend that beta blockers be titrated to achieve the target doses shown to be effective in major clinical trials, if tolerated. Little is known, however, regarding the doses of beta blockers used in patients with HF in rout ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of coronary artery disease and coronary revascularization status on outcomes in patients with acute heart failure syndromes: a report from OPTIMIZE-HF (Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure).

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · December 2008 BACKGROUND: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is frequent among patients hospitalized with acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS). AIMS: To describe the influence of coronary revascularization status on survival in patients with AHFS. METHODS AND RESULTS: OPTIMI ... Full text Link to item Cite

Long-term outcomes and costs of ventricular assist devices among Medicare beneficiaries.

Journal Article JAMA · November 26, 2008 CONTEXT: In 2003, Medicare expanded coverage of ventricular assist devices as destination, or permanent, therapy for end-stage heart failure. Little is known about the long-term outcomes and costs associated with these devices. OBJECTIVE: To examine the ac ... Full text Link to item Cite

Changing preferences for survival after hospitalization with advanced heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · November 18, 2008 OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to analyze how patient preferences for survival versus quality-of-life change after hospitalization with advanced heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Although patient-centered care is a priority, little is known about prefer ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antidepressant use, depression, and survival in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · November 10, 2008 BACKGROUND: Recent studies suggest that the use of antidepressants may be associated with increased mortality in patients with cardiac disease. Because depression has also been shown to be associated with increased mortality in these patients, it remains u ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale, design, and baseline characteristics of a Program to Assess and Review Trending INformation and Evaluate CorRelation to Symptoms in Patients with Heart Failure (PARTNERS HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · November 2008 BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a common medical problem with significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, device-based therapy, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs), and combined CRT and ICD have beco ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improvements in signs and symptoms during hospitalization for acute heart failure follow different patterns and depend on the measurement scales used: an international, prospective registry to evaluate the evolution of measures of disease severity in acute heart failure (MEASURE-AHF).

Journal Article J Card Fail · November 2008 BACKGROUND: The natural evolution of signs and symptoms during acute heart failure (AHF) is poorly characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS: We followed a prospective international cohort of 182 patients hospitalized with AHF. Patient-reported dyspnea and genera ... Full text Link to item Cite

High mortality without ESCAPE: the registry of heart failure patients receiving pulmonary artery catheters without randomization.

Journal Article J Card Fail · October 2008 BACKGROUND: In the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE), there was no difference in days alive and out of the hospital for patients with decompensated heart failure randomly assigned to th ... Full text Link to item Cite

The PROTECT pilot study: a randomized, placebo-controlled, dose-finding study of the adenosine A1 receptor antagonist rolofylline in patients with acute heart failure and renal impairment.

Journal Article J Card Fail · October 2008 BACKGROUND: Rolofylline, an adenosine A(1) receptor antagonist, facilitates diuresis and preserves renal function in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) with renal impairment. Although not powered around any specific hypothesis, this pilot study was de ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of mortality after discharge in patients hospitalized with heart failure: an analysis from the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2008 BACKGROUND: Patients with heart failure (HF) are at high risk for mortality and rehospitalization in the early period after hospital discharge. We developed clinical models predictive of short-term clinical outcomes in a broad patient population discharged ... Full text Link to item Cite

Reproducibility of peak oxygen uptake and other cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters in patients with heart failure (from the Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of exercise traiNing).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 15, 2008 Peak oxygen uptake (pVo2) is an important parameter in assessing the functional capacity and prognosis of patients with heart failure. In heart failure trials, change in pVo2 was often used to assess the effectiveness of an intervention. However, the withi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Safety and efficacy of sertraline for depression in patients with CHF (SADHART-CHF): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of sertraline for major depression with congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2008 BACKGROUND: Sertraline, a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, has demonstrated substantial mood improvement in patients with post myocardial infarction or with unstable angina. The impact of sertraline on the prognosis and depression of patients with c ... Full text Link to item Cite

A smoker's paradox in patients hospitalized for heart failure: findings from OPTIMIZE-HF.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · August 2008 AIMS: Cigarette smoking is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease yet several studies have shown lower mortality after acute coronary syndromes in smokers compared with non-smokers, the so called 'smoker's paradox'. This study aimed to a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of in-hospital mortality in patients hospitalized for heart failure: insights from the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 29, 2008 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a clinical model predictive of in-hospital mortality in a broad hospitalized heart failure (HF) patient population. BACKGROUND: Heart failure patients experience high rates of hospital stays and poor outcome ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of beta-blocker continuation or withdrawal on outcomes in patients hospitalized with heart failure: findings from the OPTIMIZE-HF program.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 15, 2008 OBJECTIVES: This study ascertains the relationship between continuation or withdrawal of beta-blocker therapy and clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with systolic heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Whether beta-blocker therapy should be continued or w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart failure care in the outpatient cardiology practice setting: findings from IMPROVE HF.

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · July 2008 BACKGROUND: Few data exist regarding contemporary care patterns for heart failure (HF) in the outpatient setting. IMPROVE HF is a prospective cohort study designed to characterize current management of patients with chronic HF and ejection fraction < or =3 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Discordance between patient-predicted and model-predicted life expectancy among ambulatory patients with heart failure.

Journal Article JAMA · June 4, 2008 CONTEXT: Patients with chronic heart failure have impaired long-term survival, but their own expectations regarding prognosis have not been well studied. OBJECTIVES: To quantify expectations for survival in patients with heart failure, to compare patient e ... Full text Link to item Cite

The primary and secondary prevention of coronary artery disease: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (8th Edition).

Journal Article Chest · June 2008 The following chapter devoted to antithrombotic therapy for chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) is part of the Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: American College of Chest Physicians Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines (8th Edition). Grade ... Full text Link to item Cite

Admission or changes in renal function during hospitalization for worsening heart failure predict postdischarge survival: results from the Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF).

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · May 2008 BACKGROUND: Admission measures of renal function (blood urea nitrogen [BUN], estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure are predictors of in-hospital outcomes. Less is known about the changes and relat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Day of admission and clinical outcomes for patients hospitalized for heart failure: findings from the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Circ Heart Fail · May 2008 BACKGROUND: Differences in hospital staffing may influence outcomes for patients with acute conditions, including heart failure (HF), depending on which day of the week the patients are admitted. This study examined the relationship between the day of the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Quality of care of and outcomes for African Americans hospitalized with heart failure: findings from the OPTIMIZE-HF (Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure) registry.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 29, 2008 OBJECTIVES: We sought to examine the characteristics, quality of care, and clinical outcomes for a large cohort of African-American patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) in centers participating in a quality improvement initiative. BACKGROUND: Hear ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors identified as precipitating hospital admissions for heart failure and clinical outcomes: findings from OPTIMIZE-HF.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · April 28, 2008 BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined factors identified as contributing to heart failure (HF) hospitalization, and, to our knowledge, none has explored their relationship to length of stay and mortality. This study evaluated the association between precip ... Full text Link to item Cite

Delivering heart failure disease management in 3 tertiary care centers: key clinical components and venues of care.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2008 BACKGROUND: Little data exist to assist to help those organizing and managing heart failure (HF) disease management (DM) programs. We aimed to describe the intensity of outpatient HF care (clinic visits and telephone calls) and medical and nonpharmacologic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of heart failure on patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery.

Journal Article Anesthesiology · April 2008 BACKGROUND: Changes in the demographics and epidemiology of patients with cardiovascular comorbidities who undergo major noncardiac surgery require an updated assessment of which patients are at greater risk of mortality or readmission. The authors evaluat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Weight change after myocardial infarction--the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease patients (ENRICHD) experience.

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2008 BACKGROUND: The relationship of changes in weight to outcomes in patients after myocardial infarction (MI) is controversial. METHODS: From the ENRICHD trial data, we assessed weight change, and the associations of baseline weight and change at follow-up wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hyponatraemia in acute heart failure is a marker of increased mortality but not when associated with hyperglycaemia.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · February 2008 UNLABELLED: Previous studies suggest that hyponatraemia is a marker of neurohormonal activation and increased mortality in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Although diabetes is a common co-morbidity in heart failure, no prior study has considered t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of low hemoglobin and anemia to morbidity and mortality in patients hospitalized with heart failure (insight from the OPTIMIZE-HF registry).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2008 Anemia in heart failure (HF) is increasingly recognized and treated, but little is known about the prevalence and its relation to outcomes in patients hospitalized for decompensated HF in a situation of both reduced and preserved systolic function. We hypo ... Full text Link to item Cite

The pathophysiology of acute heart failure--is it all about fluid accumulation?

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2008 Despite significant advancement in chronic heart failure (HF), no breakthroughs have occurred in the last 2 decades in our understanding of the pathophysiology, classification, and treatment of acute HF (AHF). Traditional thinking, which has been that this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Incidence and predictors of sudden cardiac death in patients with diastolic heart failure.

Journal Article J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol · December 2007 INTRODUCTION: Although it is known that patients with diastolic heart failure are at an increased risk of death, their mode of death has not been clearly defined. We conducted this study to examine the incidence and predictors of sudden cardiac death (SCD) ... Full text Link to item Cite

The rationale and design of the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial.

Journal Article J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg · December 2007 OBJECTIVES: The rationale and design of the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure trial is described. Before the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure trial, less than 1000 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy had been studied in randomize ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of tezosentan on symptoms and clinical outcomes in patients with acute heart failure: the VERITAS randomized controlled trials.

Journal Article JAMA · November 7, 2007 CONTEXT: Plasma concentrations of the vasoconstrictor peptide endothelin-1 are increased in patients with heart failure, and higher concentrations are associated with worse outcomes. Tezosentan is an intravenous short-acting endothelin receptor antagonist ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rapid assay brain natriuretic peptide and troponin I in patients hospitalized with decompensated heart failure (from the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness Trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · November 1, 2007 Rapid-assay biomarkers may predict outcomes in patients with decompensated heart failure (HF). This study assessed whether rapid-assay B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and troponin I predicts length of stay and mortality and correlates with pulmonary arter ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prospective evaluation of beta-blocker use at the time of hospital discharge as a heart failure performance measure: results from OPTIMIZE-HF.

Journal Article J Card Fail · November 2007 BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to prospectively evaluate beta-blocker use at hospital discharge as an indicator of quality of care and outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS: Data from the Organized Program to Initia ... Full text Link to item Cite

Characterization and prognostic value of persistent hyponatremia in patients with severe heart failure in the ESCAPE Trial.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · October 8, 2007 BACKGROUND: Mild hyponatremia is relatively common in patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF). To our knowledge, the association of hyponatremia with outcomes has not been evaluated in the context of in-hospital clinical course including central hemo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Inotropic drugs and neurohormonal antagonists in the treatment of HF in the elderly.

Journal Article Heart Fail Clin · October 2007 Heart failure (HF) is the most common reason for hospital admission among individuals over age 65 years and results in more than 1 million admissions each year. The overall annual death rate for HF is approximately 20%. HF results from decreased contractil ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation between dose of loop diuretics and outcomes in a heart failure population: results of the ESCAPE trial.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · October 2007 BACKGROUND: We examined the relation of maximal in-hospital diuretic dose to weight loss, changes in renal function, and mortality in hospitalised heart failure (HF) patients. METHODS: In ESCAPE, 395 patients received diuretics in-hospital. Weight was meas ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of diabetes on characteristics and outcomes in patients hospitalized with heart failure: A report from the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF)

Journal Article American Heart Journal · October 1, 2007 Background: Diabetes, a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF), is associated with worse long-term outcomes in patients with HF due to systolic dysfunction. Whether diabetes mellitus (DM) influences characteristics and outcomes in patients ... Full text Cite

Characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of patients with preserved systolic function hospitalized for heart failure: a report from the OPTIMIZE-HF Registry.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 21, 2007 OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the characteristics, treatments, and outcomes of patients with preserved and reduced systolic function heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Heart failure with preserved systolic function (PSF) is common but not well understood. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of diabetes on characteristics and outcomes in patients hospitalized with heart failure: a report from the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2007 BACKGROUND: Diabetes, a common comorbidity in patients with heart failure (HF), is associated with worse long-term outcomes in patients with HF due to systolic dysfunction. Whether diabetes mellitus (DM) influences characteristics and outcomes in patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of a performance-improvement initiative on quality of care for patients hospitalized with heart failure: results of the Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients With Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · July 23, 2007 BACKGROUND: Despite evidence-based national guidelines for optimal treatment of heart failure (HF), the quality of care remains inadequate. We sought to evaluate the effect of a national hospital-based initiative on quality of care in patients hospitalized ... Full text Link to item Cite

The authors respond [3]

Journal Article CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal · July 17, 2007 Full text Cite

Improving the use of evidence-based heart failure therapies in the outpatient setting: the IMPROVE HF performance improvement registry.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2007 Evidence-based consensus treatment guidelines are available to assist physicians with the management of chronic heart failure (HF). Although it has been generally presumed that physicians incorporate these treatment guidelines into clinical practice, the a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of exercise training on ventricular function, dyssynchrony, resting myocardial perfusion, and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure: a nuclear ancillary study of Heart Failure and A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise TraiNing (HF-ACTION); design and rationale.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2007 BACKGROUND: Technetium Tc 99m gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has become the cornerstone of noninvasive risk stratification in patients with ischemic heart disease, but its role in patients with heart failure is not as well establi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between depressive symptoms and long-term mortality in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2007 BACKGROUND: Depression is prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with short-term poor prognosis. However, the long-term effect of depression and the use of self-administered depression evaluation on HF prognosis remained unknown. T ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic value of blood urea nitrogen in patients hospitalized with worsening heart failure: insights from the Acute and Chronic Therapeutic Impact of a Vasopressin Antagonist in Chronic Heart Failure (ACTIV in CHF) study.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2007 BACKGROUND: Hospitalization for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is associated with a high postdischarge mortality and readmission rate. The association between baseline blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and clinical outcomes in patients admitted for ADHF ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mortality risk associated with ejection fraction differs across resting nuclear perfusion findings.

Journal Article J Nucl Cardiol · April 2007 BACKGROUND: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a significant predictor of morbidity and death. The nuclear summed rest score (SRS) measures myocardial perfusion defects and provides prognostic information, but its effects on long-term outcomes ar ... Full text Link to item Cite

Revascularization for heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2007 Coronary artery disease is the most common underlying cause of heart failure, yet there is little consensus on the role of revascularization in the management of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. The concept of recovery of dysfunctional but viable myo ... Full text Link to item Cite

The new heart failure guidelines: strategies for implementation.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2007 Several life-prolonging therapies are available for the treatment of heart failure, yet they are underutilized in many patients. A treatment gap exists between patients who are eligible for a therapy and the number of patients who actually receive them. Su ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predictors of delivery of hospital-based heart failure patient education: a report from OPTIMIZE-HF.

Journal Article J Card Fail · April 2007 BACKGROUND: Although recent heart failure (HF) management guidelines recommend delivery of patient education and discharge instructions, little is known about predictors of delivery of these materials or how such materials relate to outpatient disposition ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between admission serum sodium concentration and clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure: an analysis from the OPTIMIZE-HF registry.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · April 2007 AIMS: Hyponatraemia has been shown to be an independent predictor of mortality in selected patients with heart failure enrolled in clinical trials. The predictive value of hyponatraemia has not been evaluated in unselected patients hospitalized with heart ... Full text Link to item Cite

Introduction

Journal Article American Heart Journal · April 1, 2007 Full text Cite

Management of acute decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article CMAJ · March 13, 2007 Acute decompensated heart failure represents a heterogeneous group of disorders that typically present as dyspnea, edema and fatigue. Despite the high prevalence of this condition and its associated major morbidity and mortality, diagnosis can be difficult ... Full text Link to item Cite

Does heart failure etiology, New York Heart Association class, or ejection fraction affect the ability of clopidogrel to inhibit heightened platelet activity?

Journal Article Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis · March 2007 The ability of clopidogrel to inhibit platelet function in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) was proved by the PLUTO-CHF trial. We retrospectively analyzed platelet characteristics with respect to CHF etiology, class, and ejection fraction in pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Nonpharmacologic therapy in heart failure: an overview.

Journal Article Curr Heart Fail Rep · March 2007 Heart failure therapy has seen significant changes over the past few decades. Therapies aimed at various pathophysiologic states have been and are currently used in the treatment of heart failure. Despite this, incidence and mortality continue to rise. Non ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship of depression to death or hospitalization in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · February 26, 2007 BACKGROUND: Depression is widely recognized as a risk factor in patients with coronary heart disease. However, patients with heart failure (HF) have been less frequently studied, and the effect of depression on prognosis, independent of disease severity, i ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart failure and a controlled trial investigating outcomes of exercise training (HF-ACTION): design and rationale.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2007 BACKGROUND: Although there are limited clinical data to support the use of exercise training as a means to reduce mortality and morbidity in patients with heart failure, current guidelines state that exercise is beneficial. TRIAL DESIGN: The objective of t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Acute heart failure associated with high admission blood pressure--a distinct vascular disorder?

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · February 2007 BACKGROUND: Although blood pressure (BP) is elevated in patients with acute heart failure (AHF), first admission BP has not been meticulously recorded before treatment in previous studies. METHODS: During three consecutive months, all AHF admissions (335 p ... Full text Link to item Cite

Inotropic drugs and neurohormonal antagonists in the treatment of HF in the elderly.

Journal Article Clin Geriatr Med · February 2007 HF (HF) is the most common reason for hospital admission among individuals over age 65 years and results in more than 1 million admissions each year. The overall annual death rate for HF is approximately 20%. HF results from decreased contractile function ... Full text Link to item Cite

Financial implications of a model heart failure disease management program for providers, hospital, healthcare systems, and payer perspectives.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2007 Although heart failure disease management (HFDM) programs improve patient outcomes, the implementation of these programs has been limited because of financial barriers. We undertook the present study to understand the economic incentives and disincentives ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association between performance measures and clinical outcomes for patients hospitalized with heart failure.

Journal Article JAMA · January 3, 2007 CONTEXT: Assessment of quality of care in heart failure has focused on the development and use of process-based performance measures, with the presumption that these processes are associated with improved clinical outcomes. However, this link remains large ... Full text Link to item Cite

Carvedilol use at discharge in patients hospitalized for heart failure is associated with improved survival: an analysis from Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF).

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2007 BACKGROUND: The IMPACT-HF trial demonstrated that carvedilol use at the time of heart failure (HF) hospital discharge significantly increased 90-day postdischarge treatment rates. Whether there is an early survival benefit associated with this therapeutic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Improvement in hyponatremia during hospitalization for worsening heart failure is associated with improved outcomes: insights from the Acute and Chronic Therapeutic Impact of a Vasopressin Antagonist in Chronic Heart Failure (ACTIV in CHF) trial.

Journal Article Acute Card Care · 2007 BACKGROUND: Hyponatremia predicts poor outcome in patients with acute heart failure syndromes. This study evaluated the relationship between baseline serum sodium, change in serum sodium, and 60-day mortality in hospitalized heart failure patients. METHODS ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial differences in the characteristics of patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure and their relation to outcomes: results from the OPTIME-CHF trial.

Journal Article J Card Fail · December 2006 BACKGROUND: Recent data suggest that differences in response to therapy and survival exist between African Americans and Caucasians with heart failure. Whether these differences exist in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is uncertain. METHODS AND RE ... Full text Link to item Cite

Systolic blood pressure at admission, clinical characteristics, and outcomes in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure.

Journal Article JAMA · November 8, 2006 CONTEXT: The association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) at admission, clinical characteristics, and outcomes in patients hospitalized for heart failure who have reduced or relatively preserved systolic function has not been well studied. OBJECTIVE: ... Full text Link to item Cite

Metabolic syndrome, C-reactive protein, and prognosis in patients with established coronary artery disease.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2006 BACKGROUND: The prognosis associated with metabolic syndrome and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in patients with stable coronary artery disease has not been well established. METHODS: The WIZARD study was to determine the effects of 12 weeks ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predicting significant coronary artery disease in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 2006 BACKGROUND: Because coronary artery disease (CAD) is a prevalent comorbidity in patients with low ejection function (EF), a number of patients with heart failure undergo diagnostic cardiac catheterization. The objective of this study was to develop a model ... Full text Link to item Cite

Extent of coronary artery disease as a predictor of outcomes in acute myocardial infarction complicated by heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, or both.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2006 BACKGROUND: Left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) and heart failure (HF) are powerful predictors of poor outcome after acute myocardial infarction (MI). It is not known, however, whether the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) independently infl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prediction of medical morbidity and mortality after acute myocardial infarction in patients at increased psychosocial risk in the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease Patients (ENRICHD) study.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2006 BACKGROUND: Patients with myocardial infarction (MI) are at further increased risk for untoward events when patients also exhibit low social support and/or depression. The ENRICHD study was the largest controlled trial in post-MI patients attempting to tre ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognosis of patients taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors before coronary artery bypass grafting.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · July 1, 2006 Depression is increasingly recognized as an independent prognostic risk factor in patients with coronary artery disease and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) for depression in patients with c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Beta-blocker use and outcomes among hospitalized heart failure patients.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 20, 2006 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of beta-blocker therapy on outcomes of hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients enrolled in the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization (ESCAPE). BA ... Full text Link to item Cite

Utility of impedance cardiography for the identification of short-term risk of clinical decompensation in stable patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 6, 2006 OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the potential utility of impedance cardiography (ICG) in predicting clinical deterioration in ambulatory patients with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Impedance cardiography uses changes in thoracic electrical impeda ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiac function and heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 6, 2006 Full text Link to item Cite

An Introduction

Journal Article Journal of the American College of Cardiology · June 6, 2006 Full text Cite

In reply [2]

Journal Article JAMA · March 8, 2006 Full text Cite

Anemia in patients with heart failure and preserved systolic function.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2006 BACKGROUND: Anemia has been shown to be a predictor of mortality in patients with heart failure and impaired left ventricular systolic function (ISF). Although heart failure in the setting of preserved systolic function (PSF) is an important clinical probl ... Full text Link to item Cite

A cooperative network of trained sites for the conduct of a complex clinical trial: a new concept in multicenter clinical research.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2006 BACKGROUND: The purpose of this report is to present a model of physicians in full-time clinical practice participating as investigators in multicenter clinical trials, sponsored by a pharmaceutical or medical device company. METHODS: This gas-exchange sub ... Full text Link to item Cite

A randomized controlled trial of paroxetine for noncardiac chest pain.

Journal Article Psychopharmacol Bull · 2006 Noncardiac chest pain occurs frequently in medical practice and is often difficult to treat. We conducted a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week trial of paroxetine in 50 patients with noncardiac chest pain. None of the patients met criteria ... Link to item Cite

Anaemia and coronary artery disease severity in patients with heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · January 2006 BACKGROUND: Anaemia is common in heart failure (HF) and associated with higher mortality. Exacerbation of myocardial ischemia in patients with heart failure, coronary disease, and anaemia patients has been suggested as a potential mechanism underlying this ... Full text Link to item Cite

Valsartan inhibits platelet activity at different doses in mild to moderate hypertensives: Valsartan Inhibits Platelets (VIP) trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2006 BACKGROUND: Previous in vitro studies have suggested that valsartan produces significant inhibition of human platelets, probably targeting angiotensin I platelet receptors. To test whether valsartan inhibits platelet activity in mild to moderate hypertensi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognosis and mechanism of death in treated heart failure: data from the placebo arm of Val-HeFT.

Journal Article Congest Heart Fail · 2006 The magnitude of benefit on mortality of combined angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and beta-blocker (BB) therapy for heart failure cannot be reliably assessed from prospective randomized trials of individual drugs with intent-to-treat analysi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mode of death in advanced heart failure: the Comparison of Medical, Pacing, and Defibrillation Therapies in Heart Failure (COMPANION) trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · December 20, 2005 OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mode of death in patients with advanced chronic heart failure (HF) and intraventricular conduction delay treated with optimal pharmacologic therapy (OPT) alone or OPT with biventricular pacing to provid ... Full text Link to item Cite

Left ventricular assessment in myocardial infarction: the VALIANT registry.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · October 10, 2005 BACKGROUND: How often echocardiography and cardiac catheterization are used to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and how they are associated with quality of care is unknown. METHODS: Patients with MI in the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of the pulmonary artery catheter in critically ill patients: meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Journal Article JAMA · October 5, 2005 CONTEXT: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) have been limited by small sample size. Some nonrandomized studies suggest that PAC use is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVE: To estimate t ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation study of congestive heart failure and pulmonary artery catheterization effectiveness: the ESCAPE trial.

Journal Article JAMA · October 5, 2005 CONTEXT: Pulmonary artery catheters (PACs) have been used to guide therapy in multiple settings, but recent studies have raised concerns that PACs may lead to increased mortality in hospitalized patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether PAC use is safe and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Outcomes by race and etiology of patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · October 1, 2005 Previous studies have shown that blacks have worse long-term outcomes than whites who have systolic heart failure. The reasons for these racial differences remain unclear. We investigated the effect of race and etiology of heart failure on outcomes of pati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Overview of current noninodilator therapies for acute heart failure syndromes.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 19, 2005 Several treatment strategies exist for patients hospitalized with acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS). These therapies traditionally focus on improving hemodynamics and relieving congestion. This review focuses on noninodilator therapies, including diuret ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Pilot Randomized Study of Nesiritide Versus Dobutamine in Heart Failure (PRESERVD-HF).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 19, 2005 Acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) are related to several diseases affecting not only the heart but also the kidneys and blood vessels. Emerging evidence indicates that myocardial injury may also play a role in the pathophysiology of AHFS, as suggested b ... Full text Link to item Cite

VII. Anticoagulant treatment of coronary disease

Journal Article Journal Des Maladies Vasculaires · September 1, 2005 Cite

Impact of mitral valve regurgitation evaluated by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography on long-term outcomes after coronary artery bypass grafting.

Journal Article Circulation · August 30, 2005 BACKGROUND: It is unclear if mild or moderate mitral valve regurgitation (MR) should be repaired at the time of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We sought to determine the long-term effect of uncorrected MR, measured by intraoperative transesophagea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship of serum digoxin concentration to mortality and morbidity in women in the digitalis investigation group trial: a retrospective analysis.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 2, 2005 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of serum digoxin concentration (SDC) and outcomes in women with heart failure (HF). BACKGROUND: Controversy continues concerning the clinical utility of digoxin in women with HF. MET ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mood disorders in the medically ill: scientific review and recommendations.

Journal Article Biol Psychiatry · August 1, 2005 OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to assess the relationship between mood disorders and development, course, and associated morbidity and mortality of selected medical illnesses, review evidence for treatment, and determine needs in clinical practic ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tezosentan in patients with acute heart failure: design of the Value of Endothelin Receptor Inhibition with Tezosentan in Acute heart failure Study (VERITAS).

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2005 BACKGROUND: Endothelin 1 is a potent endogenous vasoconstrictor neurohormone, and endothelin 1 plasma concentrations predict adverse outcomes in patients with acute heart failure (AHF). Tezosentan, an intravenous endothelin receptor antagonist, improved he ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between release of platelet/endothelial biomarkers and plasma levels of sertraline and N-desmethylsertraline in acute coronary syndrome patients receiving SSRI treatment for depression.

Journal Article Am J Psychiatry · June 2005 OBJECTIVE: In a platelet/endothelial biomarker substudy of the Sertraline AntiDepressant Heart Attack Randomized Trial (SADHART), the authors sought to determine whether plasma levels of sertraline and its primary metabolite N-desmethylsertraline affect th ... Full text Link to item Cite

Lower serum sodium is associated with increased short-term mortality in hospitalized patients with worsening heart failure: results from the Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (OPTIME-CHF) study.

Journal Article Circulation · May 17, 2005 BACKGROUND: The prognostic value of serum sodium in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure has not been well defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous Milrinone for Exacerbations of Chronic Heart Failure (O ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical and economic implications of the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial-II.

Journal Article Ann Intern Med · April 19, 2005 BACKGROUND: The Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial (MADIT)-II demonstrated that implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) save lives when used in patients with a history of myocardial infarction (MI) and an ejection fraction of 0.3 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Metaanalysis and review of heart failure disease management randomized controlled clinical trials.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2005 BACKGROUND: The medical community has turned to disease management (DM) to bridge the gap between proven therapies and clinical practice for patients with heart failure (HF). The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of DM programs in reducing ... Full text Link to item Cite

Demographics, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure: observations from the IMPACT-HF registry.

Journal Article J Card Fail · April 2005 BACKGROUND: Hospitalizations for decompensated heart failure are frequent. The Initiation Management Pre-discharge Assessment of Carvedilol Heart Failure (IMPACT-HF) registry collected observational data in patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure ... Full text Link to item Cite

Impact of nonfatal myocardial infarction on outcomes in patients with advanced heart failure and the effect of bucindolol therapy.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 1, 2005 We sought to identify the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients who had advanced heart failure and nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) in the beta-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial (BEST) and to investigate whether bucindolol alters the risk ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pharmacoeconomic analysis of sertraline treatment of depression in patients with unstable angina or a recent myocardial infarction.

Journal Article J Clin Psychiatry · March 2005 BACKGROUND: The prevalence of major depressive disorder in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) is high and associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes and higher health care costs. Sertraline is the only treatment for major depressive disorder ... Full text Link to item Cite

Lessons from SADHART, ENRICHD, and other trials.

Journal Article Psychosom Med · 2005 Depression is highly prevalent in patients with cardiovascular disease and is independently associated with a poor prognosis when present. A very important aspect of continued therapeutic advances in this field will be the ability to show a convincing conn ... Full text Link to item Cite

Risk stratification after hospitalization for decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · December 2004 BACKGROUND: Decompensated heart failure (HF) is among the most common indications for hospitalization in the United States, but little is known about features on admission that predict adverse events. We used data from the Outcomes of a Prospective Trial o ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic value of anxiety and depression in patients with chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Circulation · November 30, 2004 BACKGROUND: Anxiety is often present with depression and may be one of its manifestations. Although the adverse effects of depression in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) have been well studied, the relation between anxiety and CHF prognosis has no ... Full text Link to item Cite

An international perspective on heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction complicating myocardial infarction: the VALIANT registry.

Journal Article Eur Heart J · November 2004 AIMS: We analysed the contemporary incidence, outcomes, and predictors of heart failure (HF) and/or left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) before discharge in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI). The baseline presence of HF or LVSD, or its ... Full text Link to item Cite

Absence of interaction between atorvastatin or other statins and clopidogrel: results from the interaction study.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · October 11, 2004 BACKGROUND: Some, but not all, post hoc analyses have suggested that the antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel are inhibited by atorvastatin. We sought to address this issue prospectively by performing serial measurements of 19 platelet characteristics using ... Full text Link to item Cite

Outcomes in heart failure patients after major noncardiac surgery.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · October 6, 2004 OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate mortality and readmission rates of heart failure (HF) patients after major noncardiac surgery. BACKGROUND: There is a lack of generalizable outcome data on HF patients undergoing major noncardiac surger ... Full text Link to item Cite

Newly diagnosed and previously known diabetes mellitus and 1-year outcomes of acute myocardial infarction: the VALsartan In Acute myocardial iNfarcTion (VALIANT) trial.

Journal Article Circulation · September 21, 2004 BACKGROUND: A prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is associated with adverse outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (MI), but the risk associated with a new diagnosis of diabetes in this setting has not been well defined. METHODS AND RESULTS: We asses ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is rhythm control superior to rate control in patients with atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure?

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 15, 2004 In 1,009 patients with atrial fibrillation and congestive heart failure, the 2-year mortality rate was 31% in patients treated with rate control (n = 505) versus 29% in patients treated with rhythm control (n = 504). After adjusting for differences in base ... Full text Link to item Cite

Preoperative evaluation for major noncardiac surgery: focusing on heart failure.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · September 13, 2004 The number of patients undergoing major noncardiac surgery has steadily increased over the last decade. Cardiovascular complications are important and often feared by patients, surgeons, and anesthesiologists. Although preoperative risk assessment has impr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antithrombotic therapy for coronary artery disease: the Seventh ACCP Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy.

Journal Article Chest · September 2004 This chapter about antithrombotic therapy for coronary artery disease (CAD) is part of the Seventh ACCP Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy: Evidence Based Guidelines. Grade 1 recommendations are strong and indicate that the benefits do, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Anemia as a risk factor and therapeutic target in heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · September 1, 2004 Anemia has recently been recognized as an important comorbid condition and potentially novel therapeutic target in patients with heart failure (HF). Anemia is common in HF patients, with a prevalence ranging from 4% to 55% depending on the population studi ... Full text Link to item Cite

The impact of arrhythmias in acute heart failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · August 2004 BACKGROUND: Arrhythmias are common in chronic heart failure and affect outcomes. The incidence and significance of new arrhythmias in acute heart failure, however, are largely unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Outcomes of a Prospective Trial of Intravenous ... Full text Link to item Cite

The association between depression and chronic kidney disease and mortality among patients hospitalized with congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Kidney Dis · August 2004 BACKGROUND: The point prevalence of depression and its relationship to poor outcomes among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been fully characterized. METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis of a prospective cohort of 374 patients admit ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression as a risk factor for post-MI mortality.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 21, 2004 Full text Link to item Cite

Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF): rationale and design.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2004 Heart failure (HF) affects >5 million patients in the United States, and its prevalence is increasing every year. Despite the compelling scientific evidence that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers reduce hospitalizations and mortali ... Full text Link to item Cite

Racial differences in the outcomes of patients with diastolic heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2004 BACKGROUND: More than half of all patients with congestive heart failure have preserved left ventricular systolic function. This is particularly common in African American patients, yet there have been few studies examining the long-term natural history of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Why is depression bad for the failing heart? A review of the mechanistic relationship between depression and heart failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2004 BACKGROUND: Depression is 4 to 5 times as common in heart failure (HF) patients as in the general population, might confer a higher risk of developing HF, and negatively affects prognosis in established HF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A review was undertaken via ... Full text Link to item Cite

Usefulness of an elevated troponin-I in predicting clinical events in patients admitted with acute heart failure and acute coronary syndrome (from the RITZ-4 trial).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · June 1, 2004 The relation of cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) to clinical outcomes was examined in patients with decompensated heart failure and concomitant acute coronary syndrome enrolled into the Randomized Intravenous TeZosentan 4 (RITZ-4) study. RITZ-4 was a multicenter, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predischarge initiation of carvedilol in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · May 6, 2004 The use of beta-blockers for the treatment of heart failure in the United States is inadequate, despite available data and current guidelines that support their use. The Initiation Management Predischarge: Process for Assessment of Carvedilol Therapy for H ... Full text Link to item Cite

Predischarge initiation of carvedilol in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure: results of the Initiation Management Predischarge: Process for Assessment of Carvedilol Therapy in Heart Failure (IMPACT-HF) trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · May 5, 2004 OBJECTIVES: The Initiation Management Predischarge: Process for Assessment of Carvedilol Therapy in Heart Failure (IMPACT-HF) trial was an investigator-initiated study to evaluate if predischarge carvedilol initiation in stabilized patients hospitalized fo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of valsartan and valeryl 4-hydroxy valsartan on human platelets: a possible additional mechanism for clinical benefits.

Journal Article J Cardiovasc Pharmacol · May 2004 Valsartan selectively blocks angiotensin II binding to the AT1 receptor. ince platelet activation plays a key role in the pathogenesis of vascular disease, and because AT1 receptors are present on the platelet surface, we assessed the in vitro effects of v ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of tolvaptan, a vasopressin antagonist, in patients hospitalized with worsening heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article JAMA · April 28, 2004 CONTEXT: Nearly 1 million hospitalizations for chronic heart failure occur yearly in the United States, with most related to worsening systemic congestion. Diuretic use, the mainstay therapy for congestion, is associated with electrolyte abnormalities and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of amino acid supplementation on left ventricular remodeling in patients with chronic heart failure with decreased systolic function and diabetes mellitus: rationale and design of a magnetic resonance imaging study.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · April 22, 2004 A considerable number of patients with reduced systolic function caused by primary or ischemic cardiomyopathy have viable and noncontractile myocardium. This may be related to numerous and perhaps overlapping factors, such as chronic ischemia (stunning/hib ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Warfarin and Antiplatelet Therapy in Heart Failure trial (WATCH): rationale, design, and baseline patient characteristics.

Journal Article J Card Fail · April 2004 BACKGROUND: The role of anticoagulation in patients with chronic heart failure has long been an area of interest and controversy. Traditionally the goal of anticoagulation has been to prevent embolic events, but recent trials also demonstrated that oral an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta blockers, statins, and aspirin on C-reactive protein levels in outpatients with heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 15, 2004 C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured in a cohort of 96 outpatients with heart failure. Baseline angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor plus beta-blocker use were associated with lower levels of CRP; no relation was found between CRP levels and as ... Full text Link to item Cite

Implications of elevated cardiac troponin T in ambulatory patients with heart failure: a prospective analysis.

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2004 BACKGROUND: Elevated concentrations of cardiac troponin T (TnT) have been reported in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure (HF). We assessed whether elevated TnT levels are associated with the severity, etiology, and prognosis of HF in sta ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship between heart failure treatment and development of worsening renal function among hospitalized patients.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2004 BACKGROUND: Among patients who are hospitalized with heart failure (HF), worsening renal function (WRF) is associated with worse outcomes. Whether treatment for HF contributes to WRF is unknown. In this study, we sought to assess whether acute treatment fo ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antibiotics and coronary heart disease.

Journal Article JAMA · January 21, 2004 Full text Link to item Cite

Incidence, predictors at admission, and impact of worsening renal function among patients hospitalized with heart failure.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 7, 2004 OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of worsening renal function (WRF) among hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients, clinical predictors of WRF, and hospital outcomes associated with WRF. BACKGROUND: Impaired renal function ... Full text Link to item Cite

Importance of echocardiography in patients with severe nonischemic heart failure: the second Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evaluation (PRAISE-2) echocardiographic study.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2004 BACKGROUND: Echocardiography is used commonly in clinical practice when caring for patients with heart failure. It is unknown whether the presence of certain findings provides an incremental ability to predict survival beyond the use of baseline clinical f ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical characteristics and referral pattern of patients with left ventricular dysfunction and significant coronary artery disease undergoing radionuclide imaging.

Journal Article J Nucl Cardiol · 2004 BACKGROUND: Many observational studies that predict patient outcomes have examined the use of myocardial perfusion imaging results. However, a referral pattern for radionuclide testing could bias these analyses and should be determined. These patients may ... Full text Link to item Cite

Influence of depression and effect of treatment with sertraline on quality of life after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · December 1, 2003 Major depressive disorders complicate recovery from acute coronary syndrome in approximately 1 in 5 patients, and have been found to be associated with significant impairments of quality of life and functioning. The aim of the present analysis was to evalu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of clopidogrel and aspirin combination versus aspirin alone on platelet aggregation and major receptor expression in patients with heart failure: the Plavix Use for Treatment Of Congestive Heart Failure (PLUTO-CHF) trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2003 BACKGROUND: Persistent platelet activation may contribute to thrombotic events in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). Chronic use of mild platelet inhibitors could therefore represent an independent avenue to improve morbidity, mortality, and qua ... Full text Link to item Cite

Revascularization in patients with coronary artery disease, left ventricular dysfunction, and viability: a meta-analysis.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2003 BACKGROUND: The effects of viability status and treatment allocation on long-term mortality in patients with left ventricular dysfunction and coronary artery disease have not been determined. Several observational studies with significant limitations have ... Full text Link to item Cite

Azithromycin for the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease events: the WIZARD study: a randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article JAMA · September 17, 2003 CONTEXT: Several lines of evidence have implied an association between Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and atherogenesis. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of 12 weeks of antibiotic therapy on coronary heart disease events in patients with stable coronary ... Full text Link to item Cite

Survival after coronary revascularization, with and without mitral valve surgery, in patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation.

Journal Article Circulation · September 9, 2003 BACKGROUND: The most appropriate treatment for patients with ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) is often debated. We compared the survival rates of patients with IMR undergoing different treatment strategies, namely: medical therapy, percutaneous coronary ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enhanced platelet/endothelial activation in depressed patients with acute coronary syndromes: evidence from recent clinical trials.

Journal Article Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis · September 2003 Platelets play a key role in the progression of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Clinical depression alone is also associated with enhanced platelet activation. The purpose of this study was to compare concentrations of established biomarkers of enhanced pl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Usefulness of anemia as a predictor of death and rehospitalization in patients with decompensated heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 1, 2003 We investigated the prevalence of anemia and its relation to clinical events in patients with decompensated heart failure enrolled in the OPTIME-CHF study. Our data demonstrate that anemia is common in patients hospitalized with decompensated heart failure ... Full text Link to item Cite

Platelet/endothelial biomarkers in depressed patients treated with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline after acute coronary events: the Sertraline AntiDepressant Heart Attack Randomized Trial (SADHART) Platelet Substudy.

Journal Article Circulation · August 26, 2003 BACKGROUND: Depression after acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) has been identified as an independent risk factor for subsequent cardiac death. Enhanced platelet activation has been hypothesized to represent 1 of the mechanisms underlying this association. Se ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and cardiovascular disease: mechanisms of interaction.

Journal Article Biol Psychiatry · August 1, 2003 This article explores the relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease from a mechanistic standpoint. Depression and cardiovascular disease are two of the most prevalent health problems in the United States and are the two leading causes of d ... Full text Link to item Cite

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors yield additional antiplatelet protection in patients with congestive heart failure treated with antecedent aspirin.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2003 Clinical depression has been identified as an independent risk factor for increased mortality in patients with coronary artery disease. Enhanced platelet activity has been suggested as the mechanism responsible for this adverse association. Selective serot ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of roxifiban on platelet aggregation and major receptor expression in patients with coronary artery disease for the Roxifiban Oral Compound Kinetics Evaluation Trial-I (ROCKET-I Platelet Substudy).

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2003 BACKGROUND: It has been expected that therapy with oral glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa blockers including roxifiban will reduce mortality and vascular complications in a long-term. However, platelet-related properties of roxifiban in the clinical setting are n ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and increased myocardial ischemic activity in patients with ischemic heart disease.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2003 BACKGROUND: Depression is relatively common in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) and is associated with increased risk of mortality and morbidity. However, the mechanisms by which depression adversely affects clinical outcomes of patients with IHD ... Full text Link to item Cite

Vasopressin: a new target for the treatment of heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2003 BACKGROUND: Arginine vasopressin is a peptide hormone that modulates a number of processes implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Numerous vasopressin antagonists are currently under development for the treatment of this syndrome. METHODS: Precli ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clopidogrel for coronary stenting: response variability, drug resistance, and the effect of pretreatment platelet reactivity.

Journal Article Circulation · June 17, 2003 BACKGROUND: Clopidogrel is administered to prevent stent thrombosis; however, the uniformity of platelet inhibition after treatment and the influence of pretreatment reactivity on drug response have not been described. METHODS AND RESULTS: Platelet aggrega ... Full text Link to item Cite

Pharmacologic therapy for patients with chronic heart failure and reduced systolic function: review of trials and practical considerations.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · May 8, 2003 Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome resulting from any structural or functional cardiac disorder impairing the ability of the ventricles to fill with or eject blood. The approach to pharmacologic treatment has become a combined preventive and ... Full text Link to item Cite

Tezosentan in patients with acute heart failure and acute coronary syndromes: results of the Randomized Intravenous TeZosentan Study (RITZ-4).

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · May 7, 2003 OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the effect of tezosentan in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (HF) associated with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). BACKGROUND: Tezosentan is a dual endothelin receptor antagonist that has been shown to improv ... Full text Link to item Cite

Radionuclide viability testing: should it affect treatment strategy in patients with cardiomyopathy and significant coronary artery disease?

Journal Article Am Heart J · May 2003 BACKGROUND: Ischemic heart failure is a significant source of morbidity and mortality, yet it has an unclear treatment strategy. The assessment of viable myocardium by nuclear imaging studies has shown promise in predicting improvements in ejection fractio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Heart failure etiology and response to milrinone in decompensated heart failure: results from the OPTIME-CHF study.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · March 19, 2003 OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to assess the interaction between heart failure (HF) etiology and response to milrinone in decompensated HF. BACKGROUND: Etiology has prognostic and therapeutic implications in HF, but its relationship to response to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of frequency and severity of mitral regurgitation to survival among patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction and heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 1, 2003 The goal of this study was to examine the frequency of mitral regurgitation (MR) in patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction and to relate its presence and severity to long-term survival. Remodeling of the left ventricle after myocyte injur ... Full text Link to item Cite

Platelet activation in patients with congestive heart failure: do we have enough evidence to consider clopidogrel?

Journal Article Am Heart J · March 2003 Our understanding of the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure (CHF) has improved remarkably in recent years. However, despite better knowledge and novel pharmaceutical strategies, this disease is still one of the most brutal killers in the Western worl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Surrogate end points in heart failure trials.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2003 Full text Link to item Cite

The problem of decompensated heart failure: nomenclature, classification, and risk stratification.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2003 Despite its high prevalence and significant rates of associated morbidity and mortality, the syndrome of decompensated heart failure remains poorly defined and vastly understudied. Few high-quality epidemiologic studies, randomized controlled trials, or pu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical outcomes in patients on beta-blocker therapy admitted with worsening chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2003 Beta blockers have been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure without evidence of overt congestion. No data are available describing outcomes of patients admitted with exacerbated chronic heart failure who are receiving bet ... Full text Link to item Cite

Frequency, patient characteristics, and outcomes of mild-to-moderate heart failure complicating ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction: lessons from 4 international fibrinolytic therapy trials.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2003 BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of data on the incidence of mild-to-moderate heart failure (HF) complicating ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (MI) and its impact on short-term outcomes. Our objective was to determine the incidence, timing, a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Rationale and design of the initiation management predischarge: Process for assessment of carvedilol therapy for heart failure (IMPACT-HF) study

Journal Article Heartdrug · December 1, 2002 β-Blockers for the treatment of heart failure are under- prescribed in the United States despite the availability of extensive data and the current guidelines that support their use. The ongoing Initiation Management Predischarge Process for Assessment of ... Full text Cite

Tezosentan in patients with acute heart failure and acute coronary syndromes: design of the Randomized Intravenous Tezosentan study (RITZ-4).

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2002 BACKGROUND: Endothelin-1 is the most potent known endogenous vasoconstrictor. It is released during ischemia, and elevated levels have been demonstrated in hypertension, myocardial infarction, and heart failure. Tezosentan is a dual endothelin receptor ant ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression, heart rate variability, and acute myocardial infarction

Journal Article Revista De Psiquiatria Clinica · September 14, 2002 Cite

Sertraline treatment of major depression in patients with acute MI or unstable angina.

Journal Article JAMA · August 14, 2002 CONTEXT: Major depressive disorder (MDD) occurs in 15% to 23% of patients with acute coronary syndromes and constitutes an independent risk factor for morbidity and mortality. However, no published evidence exists that antidepressant drugs are safe or effi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Whole blood impedance aggregometry for the assessment of platelet function in patients with congestive heart failure (EPCOT Trial).

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 2002 OBJECTIVE: Data from small studies have shown the presence of platelet abnormalities in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We sought to characterize the diagnostic utility of the whole blood aggregometry (WBA) in a random outpatient CHF populati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of coronary artery bypass grafting versus medical therapy on long-term outcome in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (a 25-year experience from the Duke Cardiovascular Disease Databank).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · July 15, 2002 In this observational treatment comparison in a single center over 25 years, we sought to assess long-term outcomes of coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) or medical therapy in patients with heart failure, coronary artery disease, and left ventricular sy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diuretic resistance predicts mortality in patients with advanced heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2002 BACKGROUND: In patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), diuretic requirements increase as the disease progresses. Because diuretic resistance can be overcome with escalating doses, the evaluation of CHF severity and prognosis may be incomplete without co ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of platelets in heart failure: is platelet activity related to etiology, functional class, or clinical outcomes?

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2002 OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine whether platelet activity in patients with heart failure is related to an ischemic versus nonischemic etiologic condition, clinical disease severity, or adverse clinical outcomes. BACKGROUND: Platelet activity may affect ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dissociation between hemodynamic changes and symptom improvement in patients with advanced congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · June 2002 BACKGROUND: Changes in hemodynamic measures often serve as surrogate end points in efficacy trials for advanced heart failure, although there are few objective data to support this practice. AIMS: We compared changes in hemodynamic variables vs. changes in ... Full text Link to item Cite

The prognostic importance of different definitions of worsening renal function in congestive heart failure.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2002 BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function in patients hospitalized for heart failure portends a poor prognosis. However, criteria used to define worsening renal function are arbitrary, and the implications of different definitions remain unclear. We therefore c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Short-term intravenous milrinone for acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure: a randomized controlled trial.

Journal Article JAMA · March 27, 2002 CONTEXT: Little randomized evidence is available to guide the in-hospital management of patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure. Although intravenous inotropic therapy usually produces beneficial hemodynamic effects and is labeled for ... Full text Link to item Cite

A standardized definition of ischemic cardiomyopathy for use in clinical research.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 16, 2002 OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the association between the extent of coronary artery disease (CAD) and survival in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) and to create the most prognostically powerful clinical definition of ischemic cardiomyopathy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Usefulness of psychosocial treatment of mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia in men.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · January 15, 2002 This study examined the effects of exercise and stress management training on clinical outcomes and medical expenditures over a 5-year follow-up period in 94 male patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD) and evidence of ambulatory or mental ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and heart disease: evidence of a link, and its therapeutic implications.

Journal Article CNS Drugs · 2002 Over several decades, a large body of evidence has emerged to suggest that depressive disorder is a risk factor for heart diseases, both aetiologically and prognostically. Several large, prospective, longitudinal studies have examined the relationship betw ... Full text Link to item Cite

Failure of platelet parameters and biomarkers to correlate platelet function to severity and etiology of heart failure in patients enrolled in the EPCOT trial. With special reference to the Hemodyne hemostatic analyzer. Whole Blood Impedance Aggregometry for the Assessment of Platelet Function in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure.

Journal Article Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb · 2002 Data from small studies have suggested the presence of platelet abnormalities in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We sought to characterize the diagnostic utility of different platelet parameters and platelet-endothelial biomarkers in a random ... Full text Link to item Cite

Treatment gaps in the pharmacologic management of heart failure.

Journal Article Rev Cardiovasc Med · 2002 Chronic heart failure continues to increase in incidence and prevalence despite many pharmacologic advances over the previous decade. Morbidity and mortality remain high, with the number of hospitalizations for worsening heart failure in 1999 approaching 1 ... Link to item Cite

The Initiation Management Predischarge Process for Assessment of Carvedilol Therapy for Heart Failure (IMPACT-HF) Study: design and implications.

Journal Article Rev Cardiovasc Med · 2002 The utilization of b-blockers for the treatment of heart failure in the United States is inadequate despite the available data and the current guidelines that support their use. The ongoing Initiation Management Predischarge Process for Assessment of Carve ... Link to item Cite

Revascularization improves survival in ischemic cardiomyopathy regardless of electrocardiographic criteria for prior small-to-medium myocardial infarcts.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2002 BACKGROUND: The purpose of the current study was to determine whether survival after revascularization (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) is influenced by the extent of electrocardiographic (ECG) evidence of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Biomarkers and exercise training: A possible missing link between physical activity and mortality benefit in patients with heart failure

Journal Article Heartdrug · December 1, 2001 Knowledge of the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure (CHF) has improved greatly in recent years. Nevertheless, this disease still causes high morbidity and mortality in the Western world. In particular, there have been many advancements in our underst ... Full text Cite

Prognostic usefulness of the six-minute walk in patients with advanced congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · November 1, 2001 Clinicians have relied on history and results from physical examinations to guide treatment of patients with advanced congestive heart failure, but these results may not reflect disease severity or hemodynamic status. We assessed how the distance walked in ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression, heart rate variability, and acute myocardial infarction.

Journal Article Circulation · October 23, 2001 BACKGROUND: Clinical depression is associated with an increased risk for mortality in patients with a recent myocardial infarction (MI). Reduced heart rate variability (HRV) has been suggested as a possible explanation for this association. The purpose of ... Full text Link to item Cite

The benefit of implementing a heart failure disease management program.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · October 8, 2001 BACKGROUND: To handle the increasing complexity of congestive heart failure (CHF) care, several new models for the care of patients with CHF have been developed to replace traditional strategies. We undertook this study to evaluate the potential benefit of ... Full text Link to item Cite

Comparison of two aspirin doses on ischemic stroke in post-myocardial infarction patients in the warfarin (Coumadin) Aspirin Reinfarction Study (CARS).

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 1, 2001 The Coumadin Aspirin Reinfarction Study demonstrated that combination treatment with fixed dose warfarin (1 or 3 mg) + aspirin 80 mg was not superior to aspirin 160 mg alone after myocardial infarction for reducing nonfatal reinfarction, nonfatal stroke, a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Inotropic therapy for heart failure: an evidence-based approach.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2001 BACKGROUND: Agents that increase cardiac contractility (positive inotropes) have beneficial hemodynamic effects in patients with acute and chronic heart failure but have frequently led to increased mortality when given on a long-term basis. Despite this fa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relationship of depression to increased risk of mortality and rehospitalization in patients with congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · August 13, 2001 BACKGROUND: Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) may have a high prevalence of depression, which may increase the risk of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and relationship of depression to outcomes of patients hospitalized w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiac rehabilitation and survival in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 2001 BACKGROUND: Exercise training, the major component of cardiac rehabilitation (CR), has been shown in previous trials to improve many pathophysiologic changes found in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction. It remains unproven whether exercise ... Full text Link to item Cite

Initiation of hormone replacement therapy after acute myocardial infarction is associated with more cardiac events during follow-up.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · July 2001 OBJECTIVES: This study explored the association between the initiation of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and early cardiac events (<1 year) in women with a recent myocardial infarction (MI). BACKGROUND: Observational studies have linked postmenopausal h ... Full text Link to item Cite

Linkages between facial expressions of anger and transient myocardial ischemia in men with coronary artery disease.

Journal Article Emotion · June 2001 The authors examined whether facial expressions of emotion would predict changes in heart function. One hundred fifteen male patients with coronary artery disease underwent the Type A Structured Interview, during which time measures of transient myocardial ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hemodynamics as surrogate end points for survival in advanced heart failure: an analysis from FIRST.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 2001 BACKGROUND: Hemodynamics often are used as surrogate end points in phase II trials of acute heart failure (HF). We reviewed the Flolan International Randomized Survival Trial (FIRST) database to identify the hemodynamic variables that best predict survival ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hemodynamic profiles of advanced heart failure: association with clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes.

Journal Article J Card Fail · June 2001 BACKGROUND: Classifying patients with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) by baseline measures of congestion and perfusion has been used to estimate hemodynamic status and to select and titrate therapy. We describe clinical characteristics of 4 hemodyn ... Full text Link to item Cite

Platelet inhibition by sertraline and N-desmethylsertraline: a possible missing link between depression, coronary events, and mortality benefits of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Journal Article Pharmacol Res · May 2001 Recently, clinical depression has been identified as an independent risk factor for increased mortality in patients following acute coronary events. Although the underlying mechanisms of this link remain uncertain, increased platelet activity has been sugg ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness (ESCAPE): design and rationale.

Journal Article Am Heart J · April 2001 BACKGROUND: There is little information about how to adjust pharmacologic agents in the treatment of patients with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF). Some studies have suggested that use of pulmonary artery catheterization to guide reductions in fill ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical utility of the platelet function analyzer (PFA-100) for the assessment of the platelet status in patients with congestive heart failure (EPCOT trial).

Journal Article Thromb Res · March 15, 2001 BACKGROUND: Data from small studies have shown the presence of platelet abnormalities in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We sought to characterize the diagnostic utility of platelet function analyzer (PFA-100) in the CHF population. METHODS: ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of soluble and platelet P-selectin to early outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction after thrombolytic therapy.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 15, 2001 Pre- and post-treatment platelet and soluble P-selectin were measured in a group of patients enrolled in the GUSTO-III study and were correlated with clinical outcomes. A peak in soluble P-selectin levels at 3 hours after thrombolytic therapy and lower bas ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of amlodipine on mode of death in advanced heart failure

Journal Article Cardiology Review · March 12, 2001 We studied 1,153 patients with severe chronic heart failure from the Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evaluation to determine the effect of amlodipine on mode of death. When mortality was evaluated based on the cause of heart failure, we observed ... Cite

Rational use of inotropic therapy in heart failure.

Journal Article Curr Cardiol Rep · March 2001 Despite their theoretic appeal, agents that increase cardiac contractility (positive inotropes) have consistently been shown to increase mortality when given chronically to patients with heart failure. The routine use of inotropes as heart failure therapy ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) study intervention: rationale and design.

Journal Article Psychosom Med · 2001 OBJECTIVE: Depression and low social support are risk factors for medical morbidity and mortality after acute MI. The ENRICHD study is a multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial of a cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression and low social su ... Link to item Cite

Clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with heart failure and preserved systolic function.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · October 15, 2000 Although the syndrome of heart failure with preserved systolic function may occur in up to 40% of all heart failure patients, the clinical, angiographic characteristics, and long-term outcomes of these patients are poorly understood. We prospectively evalu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and ischemic heart disease.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2000 Major depression is a common comorbidity associated with ischemic heart disease (IHD). There is growing evidence that psychological stress in general and depression in particular predispose to cardiovascular disease. Persons who have mental stress during d ... Full text Link to item Cite

Introduction.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 2000 Full text Link to item Cite

Randomized trial of sertraline in patients with unexplained chest pain of noncardiac origin.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 2000 BACKGROUND: Between 10% and 30% of patients with symptoms similar to angina and sufficient to justify cardiac catheterization are found to have normal coronary angiograms. Treatment of patients with chest pain with no apparent cardiac cause is a major clin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hemostatic abnormalities in patients with congestive heart failure: diagnostic significance and clinical challenge.

Journal Article Int J Cardiol · August 2000 Knowledge of the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure (CHF) has improved greatly in recent years. However, this disease continues to cause one of the highest morbidities and mortalities in the Western world. The pathophysiology of heart failure is comp ... Full text Link to item Cite

Circadian rhythm and sudden death in heart failure: results from Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Trial.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · August 2000 OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to address the timing of sudden death in advanced heart failure patients. BACKGROUND: Sudden death is a catastrophic event in cardiovascular disease. It has a circadian pattern prominent in the early AM, which has b ... Full text Link to item Cite

Advances in the approach to acute coronary syndromes.

Journal Article Hosp Pract (1995) · April 15, 2000 Acute coronary syndromes is a new term that encompasses the many permutations of acute ischemic heart disease. Management guidelines can help steer clinicians through diagnosis and facilitate rational selection of therapy from the myriad of available treat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with decreased platelet activity in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction.

Journal Article J Thromb Thrombolysis · April 2000 Moderate alcohol consumption (MAC) and platelet inhibition have been independently associated with a reduced risk for the development of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The effects of MAC on the initial platelet status in patients presenting with AMI ar ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prognostic implications of TIMI flow grade in the infarct related artery compared with continuous 12-lead ST-segment resolution analysis. Reexamining the "gold standard" for myocardial reperfusion assessment.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · March 1, 2000 OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic significance of reperfusion assessment by Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade in the infarct related artery and ST-segment resolution analysis, by correlating with clinical outcomes in patients with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Role of soluble and platelet-bound P-selectin in discriminating cardiac from noncardiac chest pain at presentation in the emergency department.

Journal Article Am Heart J · February 2000 BACKGROUND: It has been reported that selectins participate in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes by modulating platelet-leukocyte-endothelium interactions. Elevated P-selectin level also has been observed in the clinical setting of myocardial is ... Full text Link to item Cite

[Calcium antagonists in the treatment of heart failure. Re-evaluation of therapeutic strategies].

Journal Article Drugs · 2000 The pharmacological management of heart failure has evolved during the last decade from therapies focused on improving haemodynamics to others that modulate neurohormonal systems which are activated in the setting of left ventricular dysfunction. Despite o ... Link to item Cite

Rationale and design of the OPTIME CHF trial: outcomes of a prospective trial of intravenous milrinone for exacerbations of chronic heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 2000 BACKGROUND: The optimal management of an acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure (CHF) is uncertain. There is little randomized evidence available to support the various treatment strategies for patients hospitalized with an exacerbation of CHF. Inotro ... Full text Link to item Cite

The relationship of social support, social networks and negative events with depression in patients with coronary artery disease

Journal Article Aging and Mental Health · January 1, 2000 This study examined the relationship of social relationships and negative life events with major depression among 335 inpatients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who were free of neurological illnesses. Depression was assessed using the Duke Depression E ... Full text Cite

Role of soluble and platelet-bound P-selectin in discriminating cardiac from noncardiac chest pain at presentation in the emergency department

Journal Article American Heart Journal · 2000 Background: It has been reported that selectins participate in the pathogenesis of acute coronary syndromes by modulating platelet-leukocyte- endothelium interactions. Elevated P-selectin level also has been observed in the clinical setting of myocardial i ... Cite

Calcium antagonist use in heart failure: A re-evalutaion of treatment options

Journal Article Drugs · January 1, 2000 The pharmacological management of heart failure has evolved during the last decade from therapies focused on improving haemodynamics to others that modulate neurohormonal systems which are activated in the setting of left ventricular dysfunction. Despite o ... Full text Cite

A randomized trial of ecadotril versus placebo in patients with mild to moderate heart failure: the U.S. ecadotril pilot safety study.

Journal Article Am Heart J · December 1999 OBJECTIVE: To determine the short-term safety and tolerability of the addition of ecadotril to conventional therapy in patients with mild to moderate heart failure. METHODS: Fifty ambulatory patients, 18 to 75 years of age, with mild to moderate heart fail ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effect of Bupropion SR on the Quality of Life of Elderly Depressed Patients With Comorbid Medical Disorders.

Journal Article Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry · December 1999 BACKGROUND: There is a need for additional studies of the quality of life (QOL) of elderly depressed subjects with medical comorbidity. METHOD: We conducted an 8-week, open trial of bupropion sustained release (SR) in 18 elderly (60-81 years) subjects with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Magnetic resonance assessment of cerebral perfusion in depressed cardiac patients: preliminary findings.

Journal Article Am J Psychiatry · October 1999 OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the links between depression, cardiac disease, and microcirculatory cerebral blood flow (CBF). METHOD: A magnetic resonance imaging technique based on arterial spin tagging was used to estimate microcirculatory CBF in de ... Full text Link to item Cite

Higher rates of coronary angiography and revascularization following myocardial infarction may be associated with greater survival in the United States than in Canada. The CARS Investigators (Coumadin/Aspirin Reinfarction Study).

Journal Article Can J Cardiol · October 1999 BACKGROUND: Significant differences are known to exist between the United States and Canada with respect to coronary catheterization and intervention. In a post hoc analysis, it was hypothesized that these differences may have the greatest impact on outcom ... Link to item Cite

Cardiac troponins in congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 1999 BACKGROUND: We sought to assess the release of cardiac troponins in congestive heart failure (CHF). METHODS AND RESULTS: We performed a computer-assisted search of the English language literature (MEDLINE database) followed by a manual search of the refere ... Full text Link to item Cite

Higher rates of coronary angiography and revascularization following myocardial infarction may be associated with greater survival in the United States than in Canada

Journal Article Canadian Journal of Cardiology · October 1, 1999 Background: Significant differences are known to exist between the United States and Canada with respect to coronary catheterization and intervention. In a post hoc analysis, it was hypothesized that these differences may have the greatest impact on outcom ... Cite

Reduction in heart failure events by the addition of a clinical pharmacist to the heart failure management team: results of the Pharmacist in Heart Failure Assessment Recommendation and Monitoring (PHARM) Study.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · September 13, 1999 BACKGROUND: The multidisciplinary approach to managing heart failure has been shown to improve outcomes. The role of a clinical pharmacist in treating heart failure has not been evaluated. METHODS: One hundred eighty-one patients with heart failure and lef ... Full text Link to item Cite

Increased soluble platelet/endothelial cellular adhesion molecule-1 and osteonectin levels in patients with severe congestive heart failure. Independence of disease etiology, and antecedent aspirin therapy.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · August 1999 BACKGROUND: Platelet-endothelial interactions modulated by adhesion molecules, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of congestive heart failure (CHF). Soluble levels of these molecules and platelet-derived substances are reportedly elevated in pa ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression, coronary events, platelet inhibition, and serotonin reuptake inhibitors.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · August 1, 1999 There is substantial clinical evidence that the incidence of depression and mortality after acute coronary events are strongly related. As mediators of coronary thrombosis, platelets may represent a link between these events, and could be possibly targeted ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clopidogrel: the future choice for preventing platelet activation during coronary stenting?

Journal Article Pharmacol Res · August 1999 Ticlopidine has become an established therapy in patients with stroke, and during stenting in patients with coronary artery disease. Clopidogrel, another thienopyridine, is a safe and promising alternative, that irreversibly inhibits ADP-induced platelet a ... Full text Link to item Cite

Continuous intravenous dobutamine is associated with an increased risk of death in patients with advanced heart failure: insights from the Flolan International Randomized Survival Trial (FIRST).

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 1999 OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with advanced heart failure receiving intravenous continuous dobutamine in the FIRST Trial (Flolan International Randomized Survival Trial). METHODS: Four hundred seventy-one patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evidence supporting secondary prevention strategies.

Journal Article Curr Opin Cardiol · July 1999 Currently 14 million individuals in the United States have coronary disease. Within the next 2 decades, this number is expected to increase to 21 million persons. To minimize the excessive risk of recurrent cardiac events in these people, evidence-based, c ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hospital use and costs among patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy in the first prospective randomized amlodipine survival evaluation study.

Journal Article Clin Ther · July 1999 The incidence of hospitalizations, lengths of stay, and per-diem costs were determined for 421 patients (amlodipine, 209; placebo, 212) with nonischemic cardiomyopathy in the first Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evaluation (PRAISE) study to ass ... Full text Link to item Cite

An open-label preliminary trial of sertraline for treatment of major depression after acute myocardial infarction (the SADHAT Trial). Sertraline Anti-Depressant Heart Attack Trial.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 1999 BACKGROUND: Depression occurs frequently in patients with acute myocardial infarction and is associated with increased mortality rates. It is not known whether serotonin reuptake inhibitors would be safe and effective for patients with depression after myo ... Full text Link to item Cite

The health care burden of unstable angina.

Journal Article Cardiol Clin · May 1999 Worldwide, UA represents a significant allocation of resources. UA represents a syndrome where not only do many therapies exist, but considerable clinical trial evidence has accumulated. Universal application of effective practice patterns is warranted if ... Full text Link to item Cite

Usefulness of soluble and surface-bound P-selectin in detecting heightened platelet activity in patients with congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · May 1, 1999 P-selectin is an important marker of platelet activation and may be up-regulated in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). We sought to prospectively compare simultaneously determined platelet and soluble P-selectin in patients with CHF and in healt ... Full text Link to item Cite

Gender differences in survival in advanced heart failure. Insights from the FIRST study.

Journal Article Circulation · April 13, 1999 BACKGROUND: Previous natural history studies in broad populations of heart failure patients have associated female gender with improved survival, particularly in patients with a nonischemic etiology of ventricular dysfunction. This study investigates wheth ... Full text Link to item Cite

Disease management of congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Manag Care · April 1999 AUDIENCE: This article is designed for primary care physicians, cardiovascular specialists, medical directors, and other managed care administrators responsible for heart failure patients. GOAL: To provide the reader with a basic understanding of heart fai ... Link to item Cite

Beta-blocker therapy in advanced heart failure: clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes.

Journal Article Eur J Heart Fail · March 1999 AIMS: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of advanced heart failure patients (NYHA Class IIIb-IV) receiving beta-blocker therapy vs. those patients not receiving beta-blockers at randomization in the FIRST trial, a randomized, d ... Full text Link to item Cite

The effect of major depression on functional status in patients with coronary artery disease.

Journal Article J Am Geriatr Soc · March 1999 OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of major depression on reported functional status in a group of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). SETTING: An inpatient cardiology service. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred thirty-five inpatients with coronary artery ... Full text Link to item Cite

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: historical perspective to recent investigations.

Journal Article Am Heart J · January 1999 There are at least 300,000 cardiac arrests annually in the United States. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) effectively restores hemodynamic stability, return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC), in 40% to 60% of arrests. Prolonged survival is significantl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Failure of thrombin generation markers to triage patients presenting with chest pain.

Journal Article Cardiology · 1999 Thrombin generation (TG) is an important pathogenic factor in acute coronary syndromes including acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Since the diagnostic utility of TG remains uncertain we sought to determine whether markers of TG may triage patients presen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical determinants of mortality in patients with cardiomyopathy

Journal Article Cardiology Review · January 1, 1999 We determined the independent predictors of mortality in 3,787 patients with angiographically diagnosed ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy. Ischemic etiology independently predicted mortality after adjustment for baseline clinical characteristics. A Co ... Cite

Effect of amlodipine on mode of death among patients with advanced heart failure in the PRAISE trial. Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evaluation.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · October 1, 1998 Investigations of calcium antagonists in patients with advanced heart failure have raised concern over an increased risk of worsening heart failure and heart failure deaths. We assessed the effect of amlodipine on cause-specific mortality in such patients ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effectiveness of once-nightly dosing of extended-release niacin alone and in combination for hypercholesterolemia.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 15, 1998 We performed a multicenter, open-label study to determine the long-term safety and efficacy of a new extended-release once-a-night niacin preparation, Niaspan, in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Niaspan, 0.5 to 3.0 g once a night at bedtime, was use ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and social support in elderly patients with cardiac disease.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 1998 BACKGROUND: Depression is common among patients with cardiac disease. A number of psychosocial factors may affect the relationship between physical health and depression. There is evidence from the psychiatric literature suggesting that negative life event ... Full text Link to item Cite

Specificity of electrocardiographic myocardial infarction screening criteria in patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathies.

Journal Article Am Heart J · August 1998 BACKGROUND: The 32-point, 54-criteria Selvester QRS scoring system has been successfully used to estimate the size of nonacute myocardial infarction (MI). Three criteria of the system have been shown to be sensitive for the identification of nonacute MI an ... Full text Link to item Cite

Antecedent aspirin therapy inhibits baseline platelet activity in patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction. The GUSTO-III Platelet Substudy.

Journal Article Cardiology · July 1998 Aspirin therapy and platelet inhibition reduce the risk for the development of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). However, the effects of aspirin on baseline platelet activity in patients presenting with AMI are not known. We determined the effect of long- ... Full text Link to item Cite

Is optimal angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor dosing neglected in elderly patients with heart failure?

Journal Article Am Heart J · July 1998 BACKGROUND: The benefit of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on mortality in heart failure has been proved in randomized controlled trials. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated the prescribing of ACE inhibitors and the prescribing of target ACE ... Full text Link to item Cite

Changes in hemostasis after parenteral magnesium in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion: from animal studies to clinical trials.

Journal Article Magnes Res · June 1998 There has been some debate regarding the benefit of parenteral magnesium (Mg) in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), due to conflicting results from animal studies and recent clinical trials. Several different hypotheses, proposing antiplat ... Link to item Cite

Four commonly seen cardiovascular diseases

Journal Article Patient Care · May 15, 1998 Elderly patients with angina, isolated systolic hypertension, atrial fibrillation, or valvular heart disease may present differently than younger patients or pose special challenges. A management plan that is flexible and highly individualized has the best ... Cite

Magnesium in in-hospital cardiac arrest.

Journal Article Lancet · February 7, 1998 Full text Link to item Cite

Pharmacologic management of acute heart failure

Journal Article Current Opinion in Critical Care · December 1, 1997 Heart failure is perhaps the most important health problem in cardiovascular medicine. Acute heart failure, especially acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure, is an increasingly common clinical scenario. The goals of pharmacologic management are hemod ... Cite

Randomised trial of magnesium in in-hospital cardiac arrest. Duke Internal Medicine Housestaff.

Journal Article Lancet · November 1, 1997 BACKGROUND: The apparent benefit of magnesium in acute myocardial infarction, and the persistently poor outcome after cardiac arrest, have led to use of magnesium in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Because few data on its use in cardiac arrest were availabl ... Full text Link to item Cite

Stress management and exercise training in cardiac patients with myocardial ischemia. Effects on prognosis and evaluation of mechanisms.

Journal Article Arch Intern Med · October 27, 1997 BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that myocardial ischemia can be elicited by mental stress in the laboratory and during daily life and that ischemia induced by mental stress is associated with an increased risk for future cardiac events in pa ... Link to item Cite

Clinical determinants of mortality in patients with angiographically diagnosed ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · October 1997 OBJECTIVES: We sought to characterize the clinical determinants of mortality in patients with angiographically diagnosed ischemic or nonischemic cardiomyopathy. BACKGROUND: Patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy may have a worse prognosis than patients with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Ability of heart rate variability to predict prognosis in patients with advanced congestive heart failure.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 15, 1997 We analyzed heart rate variability from normal RR intervals in patients with advanced congestive heart failure. Although most patients had decreased HRV, patients with a life-threatening cardiac event or death (n = 8) within 18 months had significantly low ... Full text Link to item Cite

Stability over time of circadian rhythm of variability of heart rate in patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Journal Article Am Heart J · September 1997 Reproducibility of circadian rhythm of variability in heart rate was studied in 40 patients with stable coronary artery disease who underwent 48-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic recordings at baseline (time 1) and after 4 months (time 2). The standard ... Full text Link to item Cite

Clinical characteristics and long-term outcome of patients in whom congestive heart failure develops after thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction: development of a predictive model.

Journal Article Am Heart J · June 1997 Ischemic heart disease is the most common cause of congestive heart failure, which often begins after acute myocardial infarction. To better delineate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients in whom congestive heart failure develops after acu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Effects of mental stress on myocardial ischemia during daily life.

Journal Article JAMA · May 21, 1997 OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative risk of myocardial ischemia triggered by specific emotions during daily life. DESIGN AND SETTING: Relative risk was calculated by the recently developed case-crossover method, in which the frequency of a presumed trigge ... Link to item Cite

Reasons for underuse of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in patients with heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · April 15, 1997 We reviewed the records of 242 patients admitted over 1 year with heart failure and an ejection fraction < or = 45% to assess the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Most patients were treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. How ... Full text Link to item Cite

Amlodipine in chronic heart failure.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · April 3, 1997 Link to item Cite

Psychosocial factors and coronary disease. A national multicenter clinical trial (ENRICHD) with a North Carolina focus.

Journal Article N C Med J · 1997 In addition to traditional risk factors (cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol) psychosocial factors (depression, social isolation, and low socioeconomic status) have an adverse impact on prognosis of patients with CAD. Several s ... Link to item Cite

Effect of amlodipine on morbidity and mortality in severe chronic heart failure. Prospective Randomized Amlodipine Survival Evaluation Study Group.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · October 10, 1996 BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that calcium-channel blockers increase morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure. We studied the effect of a new calcium-channel blocker, amlodipine, in patients with severe chronic heart failure ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression and long-term mortality risk in patients with coronary artery disease.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 15, 1996 Previous research has established that patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) have an increased risk of death if they are depressed at the time of hospitalization. Follow-up periods have been short in these studies; therefore, the present investigatio ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mental stress--induced myocardial ischemia and cardiac events.

Journal Article JAMA · June 5, 1996 OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical significance of mental stress-induced myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). DESIGN AND SETTING: Cohort study in outpatients in a tertiary care teaching hospital assessed at baseline and follow ... Full text Link to item Cite

A randomized factorial trial of reperfusion strategies and aspirin dosing in acute myocardial infarction. The DUCCS-II Investigators.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · April 15, 1996 The focus of new research efforts to improve the morbidity and mortality associated with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has turned to adjuvant agents that show promise of improving outcomes following coronary thrombolysis. We enrolled 162 patients with ... Full text Link to item Cite

Overview of randomized trials of intravenous heparin in patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with thrombolytic therapy.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 15, 1996 Intravenous heparin is routinely given after thrombolytic therapy for patients with acute myocardial infarction in the United States and in some, but by no means all, other countries. Several trials have documented improved infarct-artery patency in patien ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depression in patients with coronary artery disease.

Journal Article Depression · 1996 Depression is more prevalent in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) than in the general elderly population. Although CAD patients with depression have higher mortality rates, depression is often not recognized and treated in these patients. We admi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mental stress-induced ischemia in the laboratory and ambulatory ischemia during daily life. Association and hemodynamic features.

Journal Article Circulation · October 15, 1995 BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the correspondence of mental stress-induced ischemia in the laboratory with ambulatory ischemia and to assess the relationship between hemodynamic responses to mental stress and the occurrence of ische ... Full text Link to item Cite

Magnesium in acute myocardial infarction.

Journal Article Coron Artery Dis · October 1995 Full text Link to item Cite

Relative importance of electrode placement over number of channels in transient myocardial ischemia detection by Holter monitoring.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · August 15, 1995 To compare the efficacy of 3-channel ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring (Holter monitoring) with 2-channel Holter monitoring in the detection of transient myocardial ischemia (TMI), channels CM2, CM5, and modified II were studied. Sixty patients wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Zofenopril after anterior myocardial infarction.

Journal Article N Engl J Med · June 22, 1995 Link to item Cite

Cytomegalovirus pericarditis: a case series and review of the literature.

Journal Article Am J Med Sci · April 1995 Cytomegalovirus (CMV) commonly infects both normal and immunocompromised hosts. Although it usually produces an asymptomatic infection to mild illness, CMV has the potential to significantly injure many different organs. Reports of CMV causing pericardial ... Full text Link to item Cite

Association of physical fitness and transient myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease.

Journal Article J Cardiopulm Rehabil · 1995 PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between physical fitness and transient myocardial ischemia (TMI) in the laboratory and during daily life, in a sample of coronary patients with a recent positive exercise test. METHODS: 47 patients with coronary disease ... Full text Link to item Cite

Presenting pulse pressure predicts thrombolytic therapy-related intracranial hemorrhage. Thrombolytic Predictive Instrument (TPI) Project results.

Journal Article Circulation · October 1994 BACKGROUND: In selecting patients with acute myocardial infarction for thrombolytic therapy, it is important to identify patients who are at high risk for intracranial hemorrhage, for whom thrombolytic therapy is ill advised. We hypothesized that presentin ... Full text Link to item Cite

A randomized trial of intravenous heparin in conjunction with anistreplase (anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex) in acute myocardial infarction: the Duke University Clinical Cardiology Study (DUCCS) 1.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · January 1994 OBJECTIVES: We designed a randomized trial to evaluate the effects of heparin administration in conjunction with anistreplase (anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex [APSAC]) on arterial patency and clinical end points. BACKGROUND: The rol ... Full text Link to item Cite

A prospective trial of subxiphoid pericardiotomy in the diagnosis and treatment of large pericardial effusion. A follow-up report.

Journal Article Ann Surg · December 1993 OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the cause of large pericardial effusions and evaluate the efficacy of subxiphoid pericardiotomy. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Despite great advances in the techniques used to diagnose pericardial effusions, much ... Full text Link to item Cite

Relation of cardiovascular responses to mental stress and cardiac vagal activity in coronary artery disease.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · September 1, 1993 Forty-six patients with documented coronary artery disease were studied to examine the relation of cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress and cardiac vagal activity. Cardiac vagal activity was measured by means of frequency-domain analysis of heart rat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Etiology of large pericardial effusions.

Journal Article Am J Med · August 1993 PURPOSE: To determine the effectiveness of the preoperative evaluation and overall diagnostic efficacy of subxiphoid pericardial biopsy with fluid drainage in patients with new, large pericardial effusions. DESIGN: A prospective interventional case series ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mycoplasmal pericarditis: evidence of invasive disease.

Journal Article Clin Infect Dis · August 1993 Although the pathogenic mycoplasmas usually infect the respiratory and urogenital tracts, these organisms also can cause disease in remote sites. Such infections are difficult to diagnose because of both the fastidious nature of the mycoplasmas and the fai ... Full text Link to item Cite

Continuous 12-lead ST-segment recovery analysis in the TAMI 7 study. Performance of a noninvasive method for real-time detection of failed myocardial reperfusion.

Journal Article Circulation · August 1993 BACKGROUND: If a practical, reliable, noninvasive marker of failed reperfusion was available in real time, the benefits of further therapy in this patient subgroup could be tested. We developed a method of 12-lead ST-segment recovery analysis using continu ... Full text Link to item Cite

Diagnosis and management (by subxiphoid pericardiotomy) of large pericardial effusions causing cardiac tamponade.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · April 15, 1992 To determine the clinical features, course and outcome of patients with cardiac tamponade, 57 consecutive patients with new, large pericardial effusions were prospectively studied. Twenty-five patients (44%) developed cardiac tamponade with venous hyperten ... Full text Link to item Cite

Subxiphoid pericardiotomy in the diagnosis and management of large pericardial effusions associated with malignancy.

Journal Article Chest · April 1992 To determine the safety, diagnostic value, and clinical outcome of patients with malignancy undergoing subxiphoid pericardiotomy for large pericardial effusions, we prospectively studied 25 consecutive patients with malignancy and new, large pericardial ef ... Full text Link to item Cite

Parenteral anticoagulation with the heparinoid Lomoparan (Org 10172) in patients with heparin induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis.

Journal Article Thromb Haemost · March 2, 1992 Progressive thrombocytopenia may develop in as many as 5% of patients receiving heparin anticoagulation. In these patients, the risk of thromboembolic complications as well as continued thrombocytopenia necessitates discontinuation of heparin and initiatio ... Link to item Cite

Aggressive therapy of acute MI in the elderly.

Journal Article Hosp Pract (Off Ed) · February 15, 1992 In elderly patients with myocardial infarction, clinicians face a management catch-22: Mortality is increased in the absence of therapy, which is often withheld because elderly patients may succumb to its complications. What to do? Evidence from recent stu ... Full text Link to item Cite

CT patterns of intracranial hemorrhage complicating thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction.

Journal Article Radiology · November 1991 Computed tomographic (CT) patterns of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) were determined in 1,696 patients undergoing thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction. ICH occurred at 33 sites in 0.77% of patients (n = 13). Thirty-six percent of hemorrhages ... Full text Link to item Cite

Failure of adjuvant heparin to reduce myocardial ischemia in the early treatment of patients with unstable angina.

Journal Article Am Heart J · October 1991 Although the efficacy of long-term administration of antithrombotic agents in unstable angina has been established, short-term effects on myocardial ischemia are unknown. A retrospective analysis was performed in 47 patients undergoing three-channel contin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Stroke and acute myocardial infarction in the thrombolytic era: clinical correlates and long-term prognosis.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · September 1990 Featured Publication Thirteen (1.8%) of 708 patients with acute myocardial infarction treated with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator in the Thrombolysis and Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction (TAMI) I, II and III trials developed a stroke. Four strokes were hemor ... Full text Link to item Cite

Administration of thrombolytic therapy in the community hospital: established principles and unresolved issues.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · December 1988 In patients with acute myocardial infarction presenting to community hospitals, thrombolytic therapy should be initiated as rapidly as possible under the supervision of a physician. Paramedic or nurse-initiated pre-hospital therapy is currently investigati ... Full text Link to item Cite

Survival and cardiac event rates in the first year after emergency coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · June 1988 One year survival and event-free survival rates were analyzed in 342 patients with acute myocardial infarction who were consecutively enrolled in a treatment protocol of early intravenous thrombolytic therapy followed by emergency coronary angioplasty. Nin ... Full text Link to item Cite

Late restenosis after emergent coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction: comparison with elective coronary angioplasty.

Journal Article J Am Coll Cardiol · April 1988 The late restenosis rate after emergent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction was assessed by performing outpatient follow-up cardiac catheterization in 79 (87%) of 91 consecutive patients who had been discharged fr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Trends in physician management of uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction, 1970 to 1987.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 1, 1988 To document current management of uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction (AMI), a national survey of 1,065 physicians was performed. Items from previous surveys in 1970 and 1979 were included to permit analysis of time trends in management. Median hospi ... Full text Link to item Cite

Adoption of thrombolytic therapy in the management of acute myocardial infarction.

Journal Article Am J Cardiol · March 1, 1988 A national survey of 1,065 physicians was carried out to document current use of thrombolytic therapy for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In early 1987, thrombolytic therapy was used by 66% of respondents. Among those who used thrombolytic therapy, 92% ... Full text Link to item Cite

Coronary perfusion during acute myocardial infarction with a combined therapy of coronary angioplasty and high-dose intravenous streptokinase.

Journal Article Circulation · January 1988 Two hundred and sixteen patients with acute myocardial infarction were treated with immediate infusion of high-dose (1.5 million units) intravenous streptokinase followed by emergency coronary angioplasty. The infarct lesion was crossed and dilated in 99% ... Full text Link to item Cite

USE OF COMPUTERIZED STATISTICAL MODELS TO EDUCATE MEDICAL HOUSESTAFF IN ESTIMATING CLINICAL OUTCOMES.

Journal Article Proceedings Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care · December 1, 1987 The suggestion that computerized diagnostic and prognostic predictions from statistical models would improve the ability of medical housestaff to estimate outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) was experimentally tested. Interns made estim ... Cite

Work in progress: [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose and positron emission tomography in the evaluation of radiation necrosis of the brain.

Journal Article Radiology · September 1982 Five patients who had undergone radiation therapy for cerebral tumors and whose conditions were deteriorating were examined by means of positron emission tomography (PET) with [18F] fluorodeoxyglucose. All five cases had similar clinical and computed tomog ... Full text Link to item Cite

Serial measurements of CT attenuation and specific gravity in experimental cerebral edema.

Journal Article Radiology · May 1980 Vasogenic cerebral edema was induced cryogenically in rhesus monkeys. Serial scans in both axial and coronal planes were used to study the onset, peak, and regression of edema. Progression of edema, predominantly involving the white matter, was analyzed fr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Evaluation of edge-induced streaking artifacts in CT scanners.

Journal Article Med Phys · 1980 A phantom is presented which permits the evaluation of streaking artifacts produced in CT reconstructions by abrupt edges. Its application is demonstrated by results obtained from nine CT scanners. It is observed that even in regions where streaking is not ... Full text Link to item Cite

Depressive Disorder in Older Medical Inpatients on General Medicine and Cardiology Services at a University Teaching Hospital.

Journal Article Am J Geriatr Psychiatry The authors examined the prevalence, characteristics, and correlates of depressive disorder among medical inpatients age 60 or over at a private teaching hospital. Seventy-six of 129 patients admitted to the general medicine and cardiology services at Duke ... Full text Link to item Cite