Lack of Diuretic Efficiency (but Not Low Diuresis) Early in An Acutely Decompensated Heart Failure Episode Is Associated with Increased 180-Day Mortality.

INTRODUCTION: The assessment of the amount of urine produced by the dose of administered diuretic has been proposed as the main signal of interest in diuretic responsiveness - diuretic efficiency (DE). The main aim of our study is to determine if a low DE is associated with 180-day all-cause mortality (ACM). METHODS: During a 3-year period, we retrospectively studied patients with acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and respiratory insufficiency admitted to the emergency room of a tertiary university hospital in Porto, Portugal. A total of 170 patients (age 76.2 ± 10.3 years) were included. The outcome of ACM occurred in 43 (25.3%) patients during the 180-day follow-up period. DE was evaluated for a maximum of 3 h after emergency room admission. The lowest DE was defined as ≤140 mL of diuresis per 40 mg of furosemide equivalents. RESULTS: No significant differences in age, comorbidities, baseline HF symptoms, or disease-modifying medication were found between the lowest and highest DE groups. The lowest DE group had higher blood urea and lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) levels (41.3 ± 24.5 vs. 56.7 ± 23.2 mL/min/1.73 m2, p < 0.001). The patients with the lowest DE had significantly higher rates of ACM during the 180-day follow-up, even after adjustment for other clinically relevant variables: hazard ratio (HR) [95% CI] = 2.31 [1.16-4.58], p = 0.016. The lowest diuresis (≤300 mL) and the highest intravenous furosemide dose (>80 mg) alone were not significantly associated with the outcome. After adjustment for N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide, the association between the lowest DE and the outcome lost strength (HR [95% CI] = 1.53 [0.75-3.13], p = 0.240). CONCLUSION: A low DE (≤140 mL/40 mg of furosemide) in the first 3 h after an ADHF episode was associated with increased mid-term mortality rates.

Deprescription in Advanced Cancer Patients Referred to Palliative Care.

In palliative care, drugs are considered futile if they do not have a short-term benefit in symptom control or quality of life. The authors examined pharmacotherapy prescribed for patients referred to palliative care to identify futile drugs. This was a retrospective analysis of patients referred over 6 months, focusing on the prescription of gastric protectants, antidiabetic agents, bisphosphonates, anticoagulants, antidementia drugs, statins, and antihypertensive agents. The sample consisted of 448 patients. Gastric protectants were prescribed futilely in 50% of cases (125/248), statins in 97% (69/71), antihypertensive agents in 27% (42/155), antidiabetic drugs in 1% (1/70), bisphosphonates in 27% (4/15), and antidementia drugs in 100% (9/9). This study reveals that many patients with advanced cancer continue to be treated with inappropriate drugs and points to the need for medical training in palliative care, drawing attention to the need for therapeutic review at each medical visit.

Enlarging Red Blood Cell Distribution Width During Hospitalization Identifies a Very High-Risk Subset of Acutely Decompensated Heart Failure Patients and Adds Valuable Prognostic Information on Top of Hemoconcentration.

Red blood cell distribution width (RDW) may serve as an integrative marker of pathological processes that portend worse prognosis in heart failure (HF). The prognostic value of RDW variation (ΔRDW) during hospitalization for acute heart failure (AHF) has yet to be studied.We retrospectively analyzed 2 independent cohorts: Centro Hospitalar do Porto (derivation cohort) and Lariboisière hospital (validation cohort). In the derivation cohort a total of 170 patients (age 76.2 ±â€Š10.3 years) were included and in the validation cohort 332 patients were included (age 76.4 ±â€Š12.2 years). In the derivation cohort the primary composite outcome of HF admission and/or cardiovascular death occurred in 78 (45.9%) patients during the 180-day follow-up period.Discharge RDW and ΔRDW were both increased when hemoglobin levels were lower; peripheral edema was also associated with increased discharge RDW (all P < 0.05). Discharge RDW value was significantly associated with adverse events: RDW > 15% at discharge was associated with a 2-fold increase in event rate, HR = 1.95 (1.05-3.62), P = 0.04, while a ΔRDW >0 also had a strong association with outcome, HR = 2.47 (1.35-4.51), P = 0.003. The addition of both discharge RDW > 15% and ΔRDW > 0 to hemoconcentration was associated with a significant improvement in the net reclassification index, NRI = 18.3 (4.3-43.7), P = 0.012. Overlapping results were found in the validation cohort.As validated in 2 independent AHF cohorts, an in-hospital RDW enlargement and an elevated RDW at discharge are associated with increased rates of mid-term events. RDW variables improve the risk stratification of these patients on top of well-established prognostic markers.