Point of Care Ultrasonography for Objective Assessment of Heart Failure: Integration of Cardiac, Vascular, and Extravascular Determinants of Volume Status.

BACKGROUND: Lingering congestion portends poor outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) and is a key target in their management. Studies have shown that physical exam has low yield in this setting and conventional methods for more precise assessment and monitoring of volume status (e.g., body weight, natriuretic peptides, and chest radiography) have significant inherent shortcomings. SUMMARY: Point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) is a noninvasive versatile bedside diagnostic tool that enhances the sensitivity of conventional physical examination to gauge congestion in these patients. It also aids in monitoring the efficacy of decongestive therapy and bears prognostic significance. In this narrative review, we discuss the role of focused sonographic assessment of the heart, venous system, and extravascular lung water/ascites (i.e., the pump, pipes, and the leaks) in objective assessment of fluid volume status. Key Messages: Since each of the discussed components of POCUS has its limitations, a combinational ultrasound evaluation guided by the main clinical features would be the key to reliable assessment and effective management of congestion in patients with HF.

Need for Objective Assessment of Volume Status in Critically Ill Patients with COVID-19: The Tri-POCUS Approach.

As the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues to spread across the globe, the knowledge of its epidemiology, clinical features, and management is rapidly evolving. Nevertheless, the data on optimal fluid management strategies for those who develop critical illness remain sparse. Adding to the challenge, the fluid volume status of these patients has been found to be dynamic. Some present with several days of malaise, gastrointestinal symptoms, and consequent hypovolemia requiring aggressive fluid resuscitation, while a subset develop acute respiratory distress syndrome with renal dysfunction and lingering congestion necessitating restrictive fluid management. Accurate objective assessment of volume status allows physicians to tailor the fluid management goals throughout this wide spectrum of critical illness. Conventional point-of-care ultrasonography (POCUS) enables the reliable assessment of fluid status and reducing the staff exposure. However, due to specific characteristics of COVID-19 (e.g., rapidly expanding lung lesions), a single imaging method such as lung POCUS will have significant limitations. Herein, we suggest a Tri-POCUS approach that represents concurrent bedside assessment of the lungs, heart, and the venous system. This combinational approach is likely to overcome the limitations of the individual methods and provide a more precise evaluation of the volume status in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Cardionephrology: Proposal for a Futuristic Educational Approach to a Contemporary Need.

The field of cardiorenal medicine is vast, rapidly expanding, and complex. Conventional nephrology training programs provide the fellows with the necessary core knowledge to provide general care for patients with renal and cardiovascular diseases. However, there is a need for focused training of interested physicians to master the specialized aspects of these exceedingly common clinical scenarios and optimize the care of such patients. A cardionephrology-focused training can add value to the nephrology subspecialty and potentially increase its attractiveness for a significant subset of trainees. Herein, we provide a proposal for the framework and content of such an educational activity. Creation of an international multidisciplinary workgroup to formulate a comprehensive curriculum for a dedicated cardionephrology track would be the first step. A variety of practical aspects such as implementation methods, the identification of the required skills, and the development of educational assessment tools are discussed. While this proposal primarily focuses on the integration of the curriculum into the training of nephrology fellows, it would also be appropriate (albeit in a modified and customized format) for a wider range of trainees, including cardiology fellows.

Ultrafiltration Therapy for Heart Failure: Balancing Likely Benefits against Possible Risks.

Heart failure remains a major public health concern because of its high prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and financial burden. The poor clinical outcomes associated with acute decompensated heart failure, suboptimal efficacy and safety profile of conventional treatment regimens, and unsatisfactory experiences with the newer classes of pharmacologic therapy underlie the interest in the use of extracorporeal isolated ultrafiltration in this setting. In this article, selected mechanistic aspects of ultrafiltration therapy are briefly reviewed followed by a critical overview of the largest trials in this field. I will discuss the clinical relevance of renal dysfunction and decongestion as two commonly used end points of safety and efficacy in the ultrafiltration trials, with emphasis on the emerging pertinent notions that could challenge our conventional thinking. Finally, a number of practical recommendations (e.g., customization of ultrafiltration rates) are provided for ultrafiltration therapy in the setting of acute decompensated heart failure. Because of a paucity of evidence, universally accepted consensus guidelines cannot yet be generated. As such, when considering ultrafiltration therapy for acute decompensated heart failure, the likely benefits should be carefully balanced against the potential risks for an individual patient. A conceivable implication of the ultrafiltration trials is that collaborative heart failure programs benefiting from nephrology expertise and resources could improve the outcomes and reduce the cost.

Cardiorenal syndrome: ultrafiltration therapy for heart failure--trials and tribulations.

Heart failure remains the leading cause of hospitalization in older patients and is considered a growing public health problem with a significant financial burden on the health care system. The suboptimal efficacy and safety profile of diuretic-based therapeutic regimens coupled with unsatisfactory results of the studies on novel pharmacologic agents have positioned ultrafiltration on the forefront as an appealing therapeutic option for patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). In recent years, substantial interest in the use of ultrafiltration has been generated due to the advent of dedicated portable devices and promising results of trials focusing both on mechanistic and clinical aspects of this therapeutic modality. This article briefly reviews the proposed benefits of ultrafiltration therapy in the setting of ADHF and summarizes the major findings of the currently available studies in this field. The results of more recent trials on cardiorenal syndrome that present a counterpoint to previous observations and highlight certain limitations of ultrafiltration therapy are then discussed, followed by identification of major challenges and unanswered questions that could potentially hinder its more widespread use. Future studies are warranted to shed light on less well characterized aspects of ultrafiltration therapy and to further define its role in ADHF and cardiorenal syndrome.

Ultrafiltration for acute decompensated heart failure: financial implications.

Heart failure is the leading cause of hospitalization in older patients and is considered a public health problem with a significant financial burden on the health care system. Ultrafiltration represents an emerging therapy for patients with heart failure with a number of advantages over the conventional therapy. In this article, a summary of the relevant pathophysiological mechanisms such as removal of inflammatory cytokines are provided that might indeed be associated with a number of financial implications for ultrafiltration. Then practical points such as training of physicians and staff that need to be considered by physicians and medical centers with regards to financial implications of this therapy are reviewed.

Ultrafiltration for acute decompensated heart failure: cost, reimbursement, and financial impact.

In addition to the proposed pathophysiologic mechanisms whereby ultrafiltration (UF) can be advantageous over diuretics in the treatment of heart failure, there can also be financial and resource-utilization reasons for pursuing this extracorporeal strategy. In those cases in which the clinical outcomes would be equivalent, however, the decision whether to pursue UF will depend greatly on the anticipated hospitalization length of stay (LOS), the patient population's pay or mix, the needs and costs for high-acuity (eg, intensive care unit) care, and widely varying expenses for the equipment and disposable supplies. From a fiscal perspective, the financial viability of UF programs revolves around how improvements in LOS, resource utilization, and readmissions relate to the typical diagnosis-driven (eg, diagnosis-related group) reimbursement. We analyzed the impact of these various factors so as to better understand how the intensity (and expense) of pharmaceutical and extracorporeal therapies impacts a single admission, as well as to serve as the basis for developing strategies for optimizing long-term care.