Background:It is unknown if beta-blockers reduce mortality/morbidity in patients with heart failure (HF) and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), a population underrepresented in HF trials... Show moreBackground:It is unknown if beta-blockers reduce mortality/morbidity in patients with heart failure (HF) and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), a population underrepresented in HF trials.Methods:Observational cohort of HF patients with advanced CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)) from the Swedish Heart Failure Registry between 2001 and 2016. We first explored associations between beta-blocker use, 5-year death, and the composite of cardiovascular death/HF hospitalization among 3775 patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and advanced CKD. We compared observed hazards with those from a control cohort of 15 346 patients with HFrEF and moderate CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate <60-30 mL/min per 1.73 m(2)), for whom beta-blocker trials demonstrate benefit. Second, we explored outcomes associated to beta-blocker among advanced CKD participants with preserved (HFpEF; N=2009) and midrange ejection fraction (HFmrEF; N=1514).Results:During a median follow-up of 1.3 years, 2012 patients had a subsequent HF hospitalization, and 2849 died in the HFrEF cohort, of which 2016 died due to cardiovascular causes. Among patients with HFrEF, beta-blocker use was associated with lower risk of death (adjusted hazard ratio 0.85 [95% CI, 0.75-0.96]) and cardiovascular mortality/HF hospitalization (0.87 [0.77-0.98]) compared with nonuse. The magnitude of the associations was similar to that observed for HFrEF patients with moderate CKD. Conversely, no significant association was observed for beta-blocker users in advanced CKD with HFpEF (death: 0.88 [0.77-1.02], cardiovascular mortality/HF hospitalization: 1.05 [0.90-1.23]) or HFmrEF (death: 0.95 [0.79-1.14], cardiovascular mortality/HF hospitalization: 1.09 [0.90-1.31]).Conclusions:In HFrEF patients with advanced CKD, the use of beta-blockers was associated with lower morbidity and mortality. Although inconclusive due to limited power, these benefits were not observed in similar patients with HFpEF or HFmrEF. Show less
In the last decade ultrasound has found its place in the intensive care unit. Initially ultrasound was used primarily to increase safety and efficacy of line insertion but now many intensivists use... Show moreIn the last decade ultrasound has found its place in the intensive care unit. Initially ultrasound was used primarily to increase safety and efficacy of line insertion but now many intensivists use point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) to aid in diagnosis, assessment of therapy and therapeutic interventions. In this series we aim to highlight one specific POCUS technique at a time, which we believe will prove to be useful in your clinical practice. In this issue our aim is to provide you with a short and practical description of the measurement of E-point septal separation to identify a severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction. Show less
