Heart Failure: Medication & Management
- Heart failure patients who see their heart pump function improve still face a higher risk of heart-related death or hospitalization if they discontinue their medications, according to a...
- Researchers analyzed data from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry, RiksSvikt, examining over 8,700 patients.All participants initially had impaired heart pump function, with an ejection fraction below 40 percent,...
- The observational study revealed that patients who stopped taking RASi (renin-angiotensin system inhibitors), ARNi (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors), or MRA (mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) faced a 36 to 38 percent...
Heart Failure Meds Play Crucial Role Even after Enhancement
Heart failure patients who see their heart pump function improve still face a higher risk of heart-related death or hospitalization if they discontinue their medications, according to a new study. The research, conducted by Karolinska Institutet and published in Circulation, underscores the continued importance of these drugs.
Researchers analyzed data from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry, RiksSvikt, examining over 8,700 patients.All participants initially had impaired heart pump function, with an ejection fraction below 40 percent, which later improved to 40 percent or higher. The study tracked hospitalizations and deaths among patients who either stopped or continued various heart failure treatments.
The observational study revealed that patients who stopped taking RASi (renin-angiotensin system inhibitors), ARNi (angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors), or MRA (mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists) faced a 36 to 38 percent higher risk of heart-related death or hospitalization within a year of stopping medication. However, discontinuing beta-blockers onyl showed a higher risk in patients with moderate heart function improvement.
Gianluigi Savarese, senior lecturer at Karolinska Institutet, emphasized the importance of maintaining medical treatments. “Our finding raises awareness about the importance of implementing and not withdrawing medical treatments in daily clinical practice even if patients with heart failure experience an improvement in symptoms and pump function,” Savarese said.
“Our results show that heart failure medications continue to provide critically important benefits even when heart function has improved,” said Gianluigi Savarese.
Christian Basile, a PhD student in Savarese’s research group, noted the study’s goal is to understand how heart failure medications affect patients with improved heart function. This understanding could lead to more tailored and effective treatment strategies for heart failure patients.
What’s next
Researchers plan further studies to confirm these results and develop guidelines for safely discontinuing treatments,potentially leading to more tailored strategies for heart failure patients.The study highlights the critical role heart failure medications play in long-term health,even after initial improvements.