Adherence to Treatment Guidelines in Ambulatory Heart Failure Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction in a Latin-American Country: Observational Study of the Colombian Heart Failure Registry (RECOLFACA).

INTRODUCTION: Although several guidelines recommend that patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) be treated with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs) or angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs), beta-blockers, mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor (SGLT2i), there are still several gaps in their prescription and dosage in Colombia. This study aimed to describe the use patterns of HFrEF treatments in the Colombian Heart Failure Registry (RECOLFACA). METHODS: Patients with HFrEF enrolled in RECOLFACA during 2017-2019 were included. Heart failure (HF) medication prescription and daily dose were assessed using absolute numbers and proportions. Therapeutic schemes of patients treated by internal medicine specialists were compared with those treated by cardiologists. RESULTS: Out of 2,528 patients in the registry, 1,384 (54.7%) had HFrEF. Among those individuals, 88.9% were prescribed beta-blockers, 72.3% with ACEI/ARBs, 67.9% with MRAs, and 13.1% with ARNIs. Moreover, less than a third of the total patients reached the target doses recommended by the European HF guidelines. No significant differences in the therapeutic schemes or target doses were observed between patients treated by internal medicine specialists or cardiologists. CONCLUSION: Prescription rates and target dose achievement are suboptimal in Colombia. Nevertheless, RECOLFACA had one of the highest prescription rates of beta-blockers and MRAs compared to some of the most recent HF registries. However, ARNIs remain underprescribed. Continuous registry updates can improve the identification of patients suitable for ARNI and SGLT2i therapy to promote their use in clinical practice.

Characteristics, Treatment, and Prognosis of Heart Failure Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in the Colombian Heart Failure Registry (RECOLFACA).

The impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on heart failure (HF) has yet to be well assessed in the Latin American population. This study aimed to analyze the impact of COPD on HF patients from the Colombian Heart Failure Registry (RECOLFACA). The primary outcome was all-cause mortality. A Cox proportional-hazards regression model was used to assess the impact of COPD on mortality. From the total of 2528 patients in the registry, 2514 patients had information regarding COPD diagnosis. COPD diagnosis was associated with a worse functional class and higher use of diuretics than non-COPD patients (p < 0.001). Patients with this comorbidity had a significantly better ejection fraction (median ejection fraction 35% vs. 32% in non-COPD patients; p = 0.004), with a higher occurrence of HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in the COPD group (p = 0.000). Finally, patients with COPD had a significantly higher risk of mortality in the multivariate regression model (HR 1.47; 95% CI 1.02, 2.11). COPD is a prevalent comorbidity among patients with HF in Colombia, showing a different clinical profile and a worse functional class than patients without this condition. Patients with COPD and HFpEF have a high mortality risk according to our results.

COVID-19 fulminant myocarditis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Fulminant myocarditis is a catastrophic disease with high mortality and complications. A viral aetiology is frequent and the implication of SARS-CoV-2 is not yet known. CASE SUMMARY: A 38-year-old woman who recently arrived from Spain presented with palpitations that started suddenly 3 days prior to presentation and were associated with haemodynamic instability, without dyspnoea or chest pain. We found features of myopericarditis on the electrocardiogram and severe systolic dysfunction on the echocardiogram. The chest tomography showed findings which suggested COVID-19 infection, and PCR for SARS-CoV-2 was positive. The cardiac magnetic resonance image showed Lake Louise criteria for myocarditis. The patient was treated with immunomodulatory, steroid, and immunoglobulin therapy, with a favourable clinical response. DISCUSSION: The importance of this case lies in highlighting the severe cardiac involvement in a young patient, without previous risk factors, positive for COVID-19, and the favourable response to the medical treatment given.