G M Felker

..Despite this fact, inotropes remain commonly used in the management of heart failure...

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..Our study sought to validate the prognostic value of RDW in heart failure and to explore the potential mechanisms underlying this association...

..These findings suggest that secondary pulmonary hypertension may have different biological features in myocarditis and that patients with pulmonary hypertension and myocarditis should be targeted for aggressive medical therapy...

..Although unadjusted clinical outcomes are better for African Americans presenting with ADHF, these differences diminished after adjustment for baseline characteristics...

..Pre-transplant VAD and prolonged ischemic times are more important determinants of PGD. These data support continued aggressive utilization of marginal donor hearts in AL HT...

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..Ultimately, this information might allow physicians to guide therapy, choose appropriate therapeutics, and improve HF outcomes...

..The purpose of this review is to discuss emerging surgical therapies in heart failure, in particular, mechanical cardiac support and mitral valve repair...

..Further research into the validity of this model in independent samples will potentially aid in the development of risk stratification strategies...

..Although often overlooked in clinical training and practice, the cardiovascular response to the Valsalva maneuver is a potentially useful, noninvasive means of evaluating filling pressures in patients with heart failure...

..Recently, the Food and Drug Administration approved implantable left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) as destination therapy (DT) for end-stage heart failure patients who are ineligible for cardiac transplantation...

..Although heart failure in the setting of preserved systolic function (PSF) is an important clinical problem, the relationship between anemia and outcomes in patients with PSF has not been carefully evaluated...

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..Future research will be required to assess whether benefits of this drug combination seen in AHeFT can be extended to the wider population of patients with advanced heart failure...

..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...

..These differential outcomes underscore the need for dedicated trials in these subpopulations...

..The goal of this study was to identify potentially novel laboratory markers of risk in chronic heart failure patients...

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..We performed a quantitative meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials to determine whether titration of therapy based on natriuretic peptide measurements improves mortality in chronic heart failure...

..7-6.3). Early WHF is a common adverse event in patients admitted with AHF, and is associated with AHF severity and excessive 6-month mortality. WHF should be considered as a clinically important endpoint in AHF studies...

..It also defines the current understanding of strategies for risk stratification in the setting of decompensated heart failure...

..MR is common in patients with LV systolic dysfunction and heart failure. After adjusting for other clinical variables, the presence of MR independently predicted worsened survival...

..These results also suggest that caution should be taken when withdrawing beta blockade in this population...

..The goal of this study was to assess the interaction between heart failure (HF) etiology and response to milrinone in decompensated HF...

..Lower baseline hemoglobin is associated with risk of short-term adverse clinical outcomes in this population, even after controlling for other baseline differences...

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..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...

..Baseline angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor plus beta-blocker use were associated with lower levels of CRP; no relation was found between CRP levels and aspirin or statin use...

..02). In conclusion, unadjusted and adjusted analyses of patients in the Duke Databank for Cardiovascular Disease indicated a significant correlation between a period of stock market decrease and increased AMI rates in our local cohort...

..The creation of an alternate list to match recipients with contraindications to traditional HT with sub-optimal donor organs has been implemented at some centers, but outcomes using this approach are uncertain...

..Exacerbation of myocardial ischemia in patients with heart failure, coronary disease, and anaemia patients has been suggested as a potential mechanism underlying this association...

..Multiple ongoing studies will provide definitive data on the balance of risks and benefits of anemia treatment in chronic HF...

..We performed a phase 2 randomized trial to evaluate the safety and feasibility of M118 in the setting of elective percutaneous coronary intervention...

..The prevalence and importance of liver function test (LFT) abnormalities in a large contemporary cohort of heart failure patients have not been systematically evaluated...

..The natural evolution of signs and symptoms during acute heart failure (AHF) is poorly characterized...

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..In this review, the authors analyze available data supporting the use of inflammatory markers both as biomarkers and as potential therapeutic targets...

..Whether newer inotropes with differing mechanisms of action will realize the potential clinical benefits of inotropic therapy without the risk remains a subject of ongoing investigation...

..We hypothesized that other adverse outcomes, principally determined by recipient characteristics, occur at a higher rate in extended criteria recipients...

..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...

..Low oxygen saturation (SaO2) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) are signs of impending respiratory and circulatory failure that can be obtained quickly in patients with AHF...

..However, referral for LVAD therapy may be limited secondary to reports of poor outcomes when mechanical circulatory support is required before transplantation...

..Anemia is associated with higher morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure (HF), but its implications for heath care costs are not well described...

..Patients with chronic heart failure have impaired long-term survival, but their own expectations regarding prognosis have not been well studied...

..Lymphocytic myocarditis presents as a primary disorder or in association with a systemic disease. Whether primary and secondary myocarditis have the same prognosis is unknown...

..He subsequently underwent uncomplicated heart transplantation. Nineteen months later, a routine surveillance endomyocardial biopsy specimen demonstrated recurrence of sarcoidosis in the transplanted heart...

..An understanding of the appropriate goals of therapy is important for both patients and physicians if rational decisions about the use of inotropes are to be made...

..The ideal composite end point for studies of MCSDs is uncertain...

..A better understanding of the factors affecting pain during EMBx could improve the comfort level of this procedure...

..Although diabetes is a common co-morbidity in heart failure, no prior study has considered the impact of serum glucose on this relationship...

..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...

..CONCLUSION: New arrhythmia during an exacerbation of heart failure identifies a high-risk group with higher intrahospital and 60-day morbidity and mortality...

..CONCLUSIONS: In patients hospitalized for worsening heart failure, admission serum sodium is an independent predictor of increased number of days hospitalized for cardiovascular causes and increased mortality within 60 days of discharge...