This clinical consensus statement reviews the use of inotropic support in patients with advanced heart failure. The current guidelines only support use of inotropes in the setting of acute... Show moreThis clinical consensus statement reviews the use of inotropic support in patients with advanced heart failure. The current guidelines only support use of inotropes in the setting of acute decompensated heart failure with evidence of organ malperfusion or shock. However, inotropic support may be reasonable in other patients with advanced heart failure without acute severe decompensation. The clinical evidence supporting use of inotropes in these situations is reviewed. Particularly, patients with persistent congestion, systemic hypoperfusion, or advanced heart failure with need for palliation, and specific situations relevant to implantation of left ventricular assist devices or heart transplantation are discussed. Traditional and novel drugs with inotropic effects are discussed and use of guideline-directed therapy during inotropic support is reviewed. Finally, home inotropic therapy is described, and palliative care and end-of-life aspects are reviewed in relation to management of ongoing inotropic support (including guidance for maintenance and weaning of chronic inotropic therapy support). Show less
OBJECTIVES In the third report of the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, outcomes of patients receiving... Show moreOBJECTIVES In the third report of the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, outcomes of patients receiving mechanical circulatory support are reviewed in relation to implant era. METHODS Procedures in adult patients (January 2011-June 2020) were included. Patients from centres with <60% follow-ups completed were excluded. Outcomes were stratified into 3 eras (2011-2013, 2014-2017 and 2018-2020). Adverse event rates (AERs) were calculated and stratified into early phase (<3 months) and late phase (>3 months). Risk factors for death were explored using univariable Cox regression with a stepwise time-varying hazard ratio (3 months). RESULTS In total, 4834 procedures in 4486 individual patients (72 hospitals) were included, with a median follow-up of 1.1 (interquartile range: 0.3-2.6) years. The annual number of implants (range: 346-600) did not significantly change (P = 0.41). Both Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support class (classes 4-7: 23, 25 and 33%; P < 0.001) and in-hospital deaths (18.5, 17.2 and 11.2; P < 0.001) decreased significantly between eras. Overall, mortality, transplants and the probability of weaning were 55, 25 and 2% at 5 years after the implant, respectively. Major infections were mainly noted early after the implant occurred (AER(3 months): 0.45). Bilirubin and creatinine levels were significant risk factors in the early phase but not in the late phase after the implant. CONCLUSIONS In its 10 years of existence, EUROMACS has become a point of reference enabling benchmarking and outcome monitoring. Patient characteristics and outcomes changed between implant eras. In addition, both occurrence of outcomes and risk factor weights are time dependent.As a registry of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) offers a robust repository of clinical data on long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) from a large international community. Show less
Gal, T. ben; Avraham, B. ben; Milicic, D.; Crespo-Leiro, M.G.; Coats, A.J.S.; Rosano, G.; ... ; Gustafsson, F. 2021
The accepted use of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technology as a good alternative for the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure together with the improved survival of patients... Show moreThe accepted use of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technology as a good alternative for the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure together with the improved survival of patients on the device and the scarcity of donor hearts has significantly increased the population of LVAD supported patients. Device-related, and patient-device interaction complications impose a significant burden on the medical system exceeding the capacity of LVAD implanting centres. The probability of an LVAD supported patient presenting with medical emergency to a local ambulance team, emergency department medical team and internal or surgical wards in a non-LVAD implanting centre is increasing. The purpose of this paper is to supply the immediate tools needed by the non-LVAD specialized physician - ambulance clinicians, emergency ward physicians, general cardiologists, and internists - to comply with the medical needs of this fast-growing population of LVAD supported patients. The different issues discussed will follow the patient's pathway from the ambulance to the emergency department, and from the emergency department to the internal or surgical wards and eventually back to the general practitioner. Show less
