❑ In patients with HFrEF and NYHA class II to III symptoms, the use of ARNi is recommended to reduce morbidity and mortality. ❑ In patients with previous or current symptoms of chronic HFrEF, the use of ACEi is beneficial to reduce morbidity and mortality when the use of ARNi is not feasible. ❑ In patients with previous or current symptoms of chronic HFrEF who are intolerant to ACEi because of cough or angioedema and when the use of ARNi is not feasible, the use of ARB is recommended to reduce morbidity and mortality.
❑ In patients with chronic symptomatic HFrEFNYHA class II or III who tolerate an ACEi or ARB, replacement by an ARNi is recommended to further reduce morbidity and mortality.
❑ In patients with HFrEF, with current or previous symptoms, use of 1 of the 3 beta blockers proven to reduce mortality (bisoprolol, carvedilol, or sustained-release metoprolol succinate) is recommended to reduce mortality and hospitalizations.
❑ In patients with HFrEF and NYHA class II to IV symptoms, an MRA (spironolactone or eplerenone) is recommended to reduce morbidity and mortality, if eGFR is >30 mL/min/1.73 m² and serum potassium is <5.0 mEq/L. Careful monitoring of potassium, renal function, and diuretic dosing should be performed at initiation and closely monitored thereafter to minimize risk of hyperkalemia and renal insufficiency.
❑ In patients with symptomatic chronic HFrEF, SGLT2i are recommended to reduce hospitalization for HF and cardiovascular mortality, irrespective of the presence of type 2 diabetes.
The above table is adopted from 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guidelines[2]
Inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system is recommended to reduce morbidity and mortality for patients with HFrEF.
ARNi, ACEi, or ARB are all recommended as first-line therapies, with ARNI preferred when feasible.
If patients have chronic symptomatic HFrEF with NYHA class II or III symptoms and currently tolerate an ACEi or ARB, they should be switched to an ARNi to further improve morbidity and mortality.
ARNi is recommended as a de novo treatment for hospitalized patients with acute HF prior to discharge.
Benefits of ARNi over ACEi/ARB include improved health status, reduction in the prognostic biomarker NT-proBNP, and improvement in LV remodeling parameters.
ARB is recommended when ACEi intolerant due to cough/angioedema and ARNI not feasible.
When switching a patient from an ACEi to an ARNi, a strict washout period of at least 36 hours between doses is required.
Treatment with beta-blockers reduces the risk of death and the combined risk of death or hospitalization in patients with HFrEF.
Therapy should be initiated in all patients with HFrEF, including hospitalized patients once clinically stable, unless contraindicated or not tolerated.
Initiation of a beta-blocker before an ACE-I and vice versa are not recommended.[4]
Beta-blockers should be initiated in clinically stable, euvolaemic, patients at a low dose and gradually titrated to the maximum tolerated dose.
MRAs (spironolactone or eplerenone) show consistent improvements in all cause mortality, HF hospitalizations and sudden cardiac death across a wide range of patients with HFrEF.[5]
Patients at risk of renal dysfunction or hyperkalemia require close monitoring during therapy.
An eGFR ≤ 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 or serum potassium ≥ 5.0 mEq/L are strict contraindications to initiating MRA therapy.
Due to the higher selectivity of eplerenone for the aldosterone receptor, adverse effects such as gynecomastia are observed much less frequently compared to patients taking spironolactone.
In symptomatic chronic HFrEF, SGLT2 inhibitors are recommended to reduce HF hospitalization and cardiovascular mortality irrespective of diabetes status.
Two studies have shown the use of ARNI in hospitalized patients with adequate blood pressure (BP), and an eGFR >_30 mL/min/1.73 m2, without previously treated with ACE-I, was associated with reduced subsequent cardiovascular death or HF hospitalizations.[15][16]
❑ Diuretics are recommended to relieve congestion, improve symptoms, and prevent worsening HF.
❑ In patients with HF and persistent congestive symptoms, addition of a thiazide-type diuretic (e.g., metolazone) to loop diuretic therapy should be reserved for patients who do not respond to moderate- or high-dose loop diuretics to minimize electrolyte abnormalities.
❑ In self-identified African American patients with NYHA class III-IV HFrEF receiving optimal medical therapy, the combination of hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate is recommended to improve symptoms and reduce morbidity and mortality.
❑ In patients with current or previous symptomatic HFrEF who cannot be given first-line agents such as ARNi, ACEi, or ARB because of drug intolerance or renal insufficiency, the combination of hydralazine and isosorbide dinitrate might be considered to reduce morbidity and mortality.
❑ In patients with symptomatic (NYHA class II-III) stable chronic HFrEF with LVEF ≤35% who are receiving guideline-directed medical therapy including a beta blocker at maximum tolerated dose, and who are in sinus rhythm with a resting heart rate ≥70 bpm, ivabradine can be beneficial to reduce HF hospitalizations and cardiovascular death.
❑ In patients with symptomatic HFrEF despite guideline-directed medical therapy (or who are unable to tolerate GDMT), digoxin might be considered to decrease hospitalizations for HF.
❑ In selected high-risk patients with HFrEF and recent worsening of HF already on guideline-directed medical therapy, an oral soluble guanylate cyclase stimulator (vericiguat) may be considered to reduce HF hospitalization and cardiovascular death.
The above table adopted from 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guidelines[2]
❑ ARB is recommended in symptomatic patients to reduce the risk of HF hospitalization and cardiovascular death for whom unable to tolerate an ACE-I or ARNI (patients should also receive a beta-blocker and MRA)
Currently, there is no license for use of this drug.
This drug may be considered in the future in addition to standard therapy for HFrEF to reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality and hospitalization.
In the setting of stable euvolumic status, medications initiation, increase, switch dose and follow-up in 1-2 weeks and checking basic metabolites panel, repeating cycles until no change in clinical status and reached appropriate titration
↑Maddox TM, Januzzi JL, Allen LA, Breathett K, Butler J, Davis LL, Fonarow GC, Ibrahim NE, Lindenfeld J, Masoudi FA, Motiwala SR, Oliveros E, Patterson JH, Walsh MN, Wasserman A, Yancy CW, Youmans QR (February 2021). "2021 Update to the 2017 ACC Expert Consensus Decision Pathway for Optimization of Heart Failure Treatment: Answers to 10 Pivotal Issues About Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction: A Report of the American College of Cardiology Solution Set Oversight Committee". J Am Coll Cardiol. 77 (6): 772–810. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2020.11.022. PMID33446410Check |pmid= value (help).
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↑ 3.03.1McDonagh TA, Metra M, Adamo M, Gardner RS, Baumbach A, Böhm M, Burri H, Butler J, Čelutkienė J, Chioncel O, Cleland J, Coats A, Crespo-Leiro MG, Farmakis D, Gilard M, Heymans S, Hoes AW, Jaarsma T, Jankowska EA, Lainscak M, Lam C, Lyon AR, McMurray J, Mebazaa A, Mindham R, Muneretto C, Francesco Piepoli M, Price S, Rosano G, Ruschitzka F, Kathrine Skibelund A (September 2021). "2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure". Eur Heart J. 42 (36): 3599–3726. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehab368. PMID34447992Check |pmid= value (help). Vancouver style error: initials (help)
↑Willenheimer R, van Veldhuisen DJ, Silke B, Erdmann E, Follath F, Krum H, Ponikowski P, Skene A, van de Ven L, Verkenne P, Lechat P (October 2005). "Effect on survival and hospitalization of initiating treatment for chronic heart failure with bisoprolol followed by enalapril, as compared with the opposite sequence: results of the randomized Cardiac Insufficiency Bisoprolol Study (CIBIS) III". Circulation. 112 (16): 2426–35. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.582320. PMID16143696.
↑Pitt B, Zannad F, Remme WJ, Cody R, Castaigne A, Perez A, Palensky J, Wittes J (September 1999). "The effect of spironolactone on morbidity and mortality in patients with severe heart failure. Randomized Aldactone Evaluation Study Investigators". N Engl J Med. 341 (10): 709–17. doi:10.1056/NEJM199909023411001. PMID10471456.
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↑Damman K, Gori M, Claggett B, Jhund PS, Senni M, Lefkowitz MP, Prescott MF, Shi VC, Rouleau JL, Swedberg K, Zile MR, Packer M, Desai AS, Solomon SD, McMurray J (June 2018). "Renal Effects and Associated Outcomes During Angiotensin-Neprilysin Inhibition in Heart Failure". JACC Heart Fail. 6 (6): 489–498. doi:10.1016/j.jchf.2018.02.004. PMID29655829. Vancouver style error: initials (help)
↑Desai AS, Vardeny O, Claggett B, McMurray JJ, Packer M, Swedberg K, Rouleau JL, Zile MR, Lefkowitz M, Shi V, Solomon SD (January 2017). "Reduced Risk of Hyperkalemia During Treatment of Heart Failure With Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists by Use of Sacubitril/Valsartan Compared With Enalapril: A Secondary Analysis of the PARADIGM-HF Trial". JAMA Cardiol. 2 (1): 79–85. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2016.4733. PMID27842179.
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↑Mullens W, Damman K, Harjola VP, Mebazaa A, Brunner-La Rocca HP, Martens P, Testani JM, Tang W, Orso F, Rossignol P, Metra M, Filippatos G, Seferovic PM, Ruschitzka F, Coats AJ (February 2019). "The use of diuretics in heart failure with congestion - a position statement from the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology". Eur J Heart Fail. 21 (2): 137–155. doi:10.1002/ejhf.1369. PMID30600580. Vancouver style error: initials (help)
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