Natriuretic peptides are substrates of neprilysin; hence, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations rise with neprilysin inhibition. Thus, the clinical validity of measuring BNP in ...sacubitril/valsartan-treated patients has been questioned, and use of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP) has been preferred and recommended.The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic performance of BNP measurements before and during treatment with sacubitril/valsartan.BNP and NT-proBNP were measured before and after 4 to 6weeks, 8 to 10weeks, and 9months of treatment with sacubitril/valsartan in the PARADIGM-HF (Prospective Comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure) trial. We assessed the association of levels of these natriuretic peptides with the subsequent risk of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for HF.Median BNP concentration (before treatment: 202ng/l Q1 to Q3: 126 to 335ng/l) increased to 235ng/l (Q1to Q3: 128 to 422ng/l) after 8 to 10weeks of treatment. BNP concentrations doubled in 141 (18%) patients and tripled in 49 (6%) patients during the first 8 to 10weeks of sacubitril/valsartan. In contrast, such striking increases in NT-proBNP following the use of the neprilysin inhibitor were extremely rare. Treatment with sacubitril/valsartan causedarightward shift in the distribution of BNP when compared with NT-proBNP, but both peptides retained theirprognostic accuracy (C-statistics of 63% to 67% for BNP and C-statistics of 64% to 70% for NT-proBNP) with nodifference between the 2 biomarkers. Increases in both BNP and NT-proBNP during 8 to 10weeks of sacubitril/valsartanwere associated with worse outcomes (p=0.003 and p=0.005, respectively).Circulating levels of BNP may increase meaningfully early after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan. In comparison, NT-proBNP is not a substrate of neprilysin inhibition, and thus may lead to less clinical confusion when measured within 8 to 10weeks of drug initiation. However, during treatment, either biomarker predicts the risk of major adverse outcomes in patients treated with angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors. (Prospective Comparison of ARNI with ACEI to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure PARADIGM-HF; NCT01035255).
Reply Shah, Amil M., MD, MPH; Kraigher-Krainer, Elisabeth, MD; Gupta, Deepak K., MD ...
Journal of the American College of Cardiology,
2014, Letnik:
64, Številka:
14
Journal Article
Surgical sympathectomy can relieve symptoms of angina in patients with refractory angina. However, in these high-risk patients this thoracic surgery may result in significant morbidity and mortality ...rates. Similar sympathetic blockade can now be produced with high thoracic epidural analgesia (HTEA). From September 1995 to August 1996, we treated 10 consecutive patients with HTEA. These eight men and two women, aged 58 ± 5 years, with extensive three-vessel coronary disease and ejection fractions of 40% ± 5%, had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV angina despite medical therapy, including nitrates, β-blockade, calcium channel blockade, and narcotics. HTEA was performed at the T1 through T4 levels with a catheter placed either percutaneously or surgically, with radiographic confirmation of catheter placement with an epidurogram or computed tomography scan. Bupivacaine (0.25% to 0.5%), an amide local anesthetic, was given as a bolus through the epidural catheter and then maintained either as a continuous infusion or an intermittent rebolus. The epidural catheter remained in place for 7 days in four patients, 14 days in three patients, and ≥90 days in three patients. Before consideration for HTEA, each patient was deemed unsuitable for or refused coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary angioplasty and had NYHA class IV symptoms of angina. Seven of 10 patients required intravenous nitroglycerin and heparin and were unable to be discharged from the intensive care unit because of anginal symptoms. Two of these seven patients also required an intraaortic balloon pump for symptom control. After HTEA, all 10 patients had improved symptoms, with five patients improving to NYHA class II symptoms and five improving to NYHA class III. All seven patients receiving intravenous nitroglycerin, heparin, or intraaortic balloon pump support had these modalities discontinued. Six of these seven patients were subsequently discharged from the hospital. One patient died from a non-HTEA related cause. There were no HTEA-related deaths. There were three catheter-related complications necessitating catheter removal during 12 months of HTEA use. Local infection developed in one patient, one had catheter occlusion caused by fibrosis, and one patient had chronic back pain exacerbation from a paraspinous muscle spasm. No patient had a myocardial infarction or a significant arrhythmia. In patients with otherwise intractable angina pectoris, HTEA is an effective modality that produces symptomatic relief of angina pectoris and allows increased activity level. (Am Heart J 1997; 134:648-55.)
Peter C. Gazes: Physician, teacher, scholar Hurst, J. Willis; Fye, W. Bruce; Zile, Michael R.
Clinical cardiology (Mahwah, N.J.),
March 2003, Letnik:
26, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Diastolic Heart Failure Maurer, Mathew S; Packer, Milton; Burkhoff, Daniel
The New England journal of medicine,
09/2004, Letnik:
351, Številka:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
To the Editor:
Zile et al. (May 6 issue)
1
conclude that heart failure develops in patients with a normal ejection fraction because of abnormal active and passive diastolic function. However, the ...applicability of this conclusion to all such patients is uncertain for several reasons. First, accurate assessment of left ventricular volume, on which the conclusions critically depend, requires a three-dimensional imaging technique that measures the long axis
2
,
3
; two-dimensional techniques are inadequate for this purpose. Second, the majority of the patients studied were men, and on average, they were less than 60 years of age. However, most patients with . . .
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