Heart Failure

The Practical Cardiology(TM) Heart Failure clinical resource center is an information hub for the latest in heart failure and heart failure management. With a focus on heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF and HFpEF) this page features content including articles, videos, podcasts, and clinician-authored columns on FDA approvals, studies, guideline updates, and more.

Preterm Birth Associated with Increased Heart Failure Risk Throughout Adulthood

April 09, 2021

An analysis of nearly 4.2 million patients from a birth registry indicates being born preterm was linked to a significantly higher risk of developing heart failure during childhood and a 42% greater risk of heart failure in adulthood.

Implementation and Use of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Heart Failure with Stephen Greene, MD

April 07, 2021

Hear from Stephen Greene, MD, as he takes a deeper dive into a recent study he led comparing use of NYHA class vs. KCCQ-OS to capture changes in disease state among patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

Dapagliflozin Effective for Heart Failure, Irrespective of Patient Sex

March 31, 2021

An analysis of DAPA-HF indicates the efficacy and safety profile of dapagliflozin was consistent regardless of patient sex, highlighting the potential of the SGLT2 inhibitor for heart failure patients.

Patient-Reported Outcomes Best NYHA Class for Capturing Progression of Heart Failure

March 25, 2021

An analysis of more than 2k HFrEF patients from the CHAMP-HF registry indicates changes in KCCQ-OS may be a more accurate way of capturing changes in disease state than New York Heart Association class.

AHA Study Links 4 Major Conditions to More than 60% of COVID-19 Hospitalizations

February 25, 2021

An analysis using data from the CDC, COVID-NET, and the COVID Tracking Project suggests nearly 2 out of 3 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US were attributable to obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and heart failure.

FDA Expands Label for Sacubitril/Valsartan (Entresto) to Include Some HFpEF Patients

February 16, 2021

Novartis announced the US FDA has expanded the label for sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto) to include reducing the risk of CV death and hospitalizations for heart failure among patients with chronic heart failure.

Heart Failure Cases on the Rise Across the Globe

February 12, 2021

An analysis of data from 195 countries over a nearly 3 decade period indicates prevalence and burden of heart failure have continued to grow since 1990.

Study Suggests Coffee Consumption Decreases Heart Failure Risk

February 09, 2021

An analysis of data from a trio of major cardiovascular studies details the apparent decrease in risk of incident heart failure associated with increased intake of coffee.

GLS-Guided Therapy Could Reduce Impact of Cardiotoxicity from Chemotherapy

February 02, 2021

The SUCCOUR trial indicates GLS-guided cardioprotective therapy could be more effective at reducing the impact of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction and incidence of cardiotoxicity than LVEF-guided therapy in patients exposed to anthracyclines.

FDA Approves Vericiguat (Verquvo) for Treatment of Heart Failure

January 20, 2021

The US FDA has approved vericiguat (Verquvo) for reducing the risk of cardiovascular death and heart failure hospitalization following a hospitalization for heart failure or need for outpatient intravenous diuretics in patients with HFrEF.

Meta-Analysis Provides Insight on Fried Food and its Impact on Heart Health

January 19, 2021

A meta-analysis of nearly 20 studies is offering clinicians further insight into the effects of consuming fried foods on cardiovascular health.

Left Atrial Strain Helps Predict Atrial Fibrillation in Heart Failure Patients

January 12, 2021

A retrospective cohort study suggests peak atrial longitudinal strain and peak atrial contraction strain could help clinicians identify HFpEF patients at greatest risk for developing atrial fibrillation.

Heart Failure Patients at Nearly Double Risk of COVID-19 Mortality, UK Study Finds

January 09, 2021

An analysis of data from a medical center in the UK suggests patients with heart failure were at nearly double the risk of dying from COVID-19 as their counterparts without COVID-19.

Statin Use Could Reduce Risk of Cardiotoxicity from Anthracyclines and Trastuzumab

January 06, 2021

An analysis of more than 1000 matched pairs of women receiving one of two common treatments for breast cancer were half as likely to be hospitalized for heart failure if they were also using statins.

Gregory Weiss, MD: Heart Failure Management in 2020

January 05, 2021

Gregory Weiss, MD, offers perspective on the diagnosis and management of heart failure during 2020.

Year in Review: Top Stories in Heart Failure from 2020

December 24, 2020

This article features the top 5 stories in Practical Cardiology's coverage of heart failure in 2020.

Too Much Sitting, Lying Down Could Increase Heart Failure Risk by 42% in Older Women

November 24, 2020

An analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative details the detrimental impact of sedentary behavior on the risk of heart failure in older women.

AHA & AstraZeneca Push for Uptake of SGLT2 Inhibitors with TRANSLATE-HF Program

November 18, 2020

TRANSLATE-HF is a collaborative effort between the AHA and AstraZeneca with the goal of increasing and optimizing SGLT2 inhibitor use in US patients. Hear further insight lead author from the first of 6 TRANSLATE-HF studies, which was presented at AHA 2020.

Deepak Bhatt, MD: Sotagliflozin and Phase 3 Data from AHA 2020

November 17, 2020

Deepak Bhatt, MD, MPH, offers his thoughts on the results of SCORED and SOLOIST as well as diving deeper into the implications of the data for sotagliflozin and SGLT2 inhibitors moving forward.

Sotagliflozin, a Dual SGLT2/1 Inhibitor, Shows Promise in Phase 3 Trials

November 17, 2020

Data from the phase 3 SOLOIST-WHF and SCORED trials suggest sotagliflozin was associated with significant reductions in death from CVD in patients with worsening heart failure and significant reductions in blood glucose levels among patients with moderate to severe kidney impairment.