RESUMEN
Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of cardiac diseases for which diagnosis and treatment are not always simple. The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, in particular the etiology, comes from an integration between symptoms and results collected by several instrumental exams. The brain storming for the diagnosis includes also the identification of the "red flags", i.e. the pathognomonic features for each etiology that can drive the choice of appropriate diagnostic tests and therapy. In this review, we provide a step by step approach in order to help cardiologists, not specifically dedicated to cardiomyopathies, to draw the diagnosis, therapy and follow-up. This approach will be accompanied by the consultation of other specialists to discuss together the results of the exams performed and to deepen extracardiac signs and symptoms.
Asunto(s)
Cardiomiopatías/diagnóstico , Cardiomiopatías/genética , Fenotipo , Evaluación de Síntomas , Displasia Ventricular Derecha Arritmogénica/diagnóstico , Displasia Ventricular Derecha Arritmogénica/genética , Displasia Ventricular Derecha Arritmogénica/terapia , Cardiomiopatías/terapia , Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/diagnóstico , Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/genética , Cardiomiopatía Dilatada/terapia , Cardiomiopatía Hipertrófica/diagnóstico , Cardiomiopatía Hipertrófica/genética , Cardiomiopatía Hipertrófica/terapia , Cardiomiopatía Restrictiva/diagnóstico , Cardiomiopatía Restrictiva/etiología , Cardiomiopatía Restrictiva/terapia , Diagnóstico Diferencial , Ecocardiografía , Electrocardiografía , Humanos , Imagen por Resonancia Cinemagnética , Tomografía de Emisión de Positrones , Derivación y Consulta , Sarcoidosis/diagnósticoRESUMEN
AIMS: Randomized trials have shown that beta-blockers (BBs) reduce mortality in chronic heart failure (HF). Less data are available on the role of BBs in patients with acute HF, specifically if BBs should be continued or temporarily withdrawn. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of BBs on in-hospital outcomes of patients admitted for worsening HF in a Cardiology setting. METHODS AND RESULTS: One thousand five hundred and seventy-two patients enrolled in the Italian Survey on Acute HF were evaluated. According to the BB therapy before and during hospitalization, four groups were defined: group A, no/no (51.6%); group B, no/yes (16.4%); group C, yes/no (9.0%); and group D, yes/yes (23.0%). Groups B and D had a significantly lower in-hospital mortality rate (group B 1.2%, group D 2.8%, group A 10.1%, and group C 12.1%; P < 0.0001). The association between non-use or withdrawal of BBs and higher mortality rate was confirmed by the multivariable analysis [group D, reference group; odds ratio (OR) 3.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-7.32 and OR 4.20, 95% CI 1.59-11.10 for groups A and C, respectively], whereas no difference was found between groups B and D (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.07-1.78). CONCLUSION: In patients hospitalized for worsening HF, non-use or discontinuation of BBs was associated with a significant higher mortality.