Implications for Clinical Practice from a Multicenter Survey of Heart Failure Management Centers.

OBJECTIVES: This observational, cross-sectional study based aimed to test whether heart failure (HF)-disease management program (DMP) components are influencing care and clinical decision-making in Brazil. METHODS: The survey respondents were cardiologists recommended by experts in the field and invited to participate in the survey via printed form or email. The survey consisted of 29 questions addressing site demographics, public versus private infrastructure, HF baseline data of patients, clinical management of HF, performance indicators, and perceptions about HF treatment. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 98 centers (58% public and 42% private practice) distributed across Brazil. Public HF-DMPs compared to private HF-DMP were associated with a higher percentage of HF-DMP-dedicated services (79% vs 24%; OR: 12, 95% CI: 94-34), multidisciplinary HF (MHF)-DMP [84% vs 65%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-8), HF educational programs (49% vs 18%; OR: 4; 95% CI: 1-2), written instructions before hospital discharge (83% vs 76%; OR: 1; 95% CI: 0-5), rehabilitation (69% vs 39%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-9), monitoring (44% vs 29%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 1-5), guideline-directed medical therapy-HF use (94% vs 85%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 0-15), and less B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) dosage (73% vs 88%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-9), and key performance indicators (37% vs 60%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-7). In comparison to non- MHF-DMP, MHF-DMP was associated with more educational initiatives (42% vs 6%; OR: 12; 95% CI: 1-97), written instructions (83% vs 68%; OR: 2: 95% CI: 1-7), rehabilitation (69% vs 17%; OR: 11; 95% CI: 3-44), monitoring (47% vs 6%; OR: 14; 95% CI: 2-115), GDMT-HF (92% vs 83%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 0-15). In addition, there were less use of BNP as a biomarker (70% vs 84%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 1-8) and key performance indicators (35% vs 51%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 91,6) in the non-MHF group. Physicians considered changing or introducing new medications mostly when patients were hospitalized or when observing worsening disease and/or symptoms. Adherence to drug treatment and non-drug treatment factors were the greatest medical problems associated with HF treatment. CONCLUSION: HF-DMPs are highly heterogeneous. New strategies for HF care should consider the present study highlights and clinical decision-making processes to improve HF patient care.

Implications for clinical practice from a multicenter survey of heart failure management centers

OBJECTIVES: This observational, cross-sectional study based aimed to test whether heart failure (HF)-disease management program (DMP) components are influencing care and clinical decision-making in Brazil. METHODS: The survey respondents were cardiologists recommended by experts in the field and invited to participate in the survey via printed form or email. The survey consisted of 29 questions addressing site demographics, public versus private infrastructure, HF baseline data of patients, clinical management of HF, performance indicators, and perceptions about HF treatment. RESULTS: Data were obtained from 98 centers (58% public and 42% private practice) distributed across Brazil. Public HF-DMPs compared to private HF-DMP were associated with a higher percentage of HF-DMP-dedicated services (79% vs 24%; OR: 12, 95% CI: 94-34), multidisciplinary HF (MHF)-DMP [84% vs 65%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-8), HF educational programs (49% vs 18%; OR: 4; 95% CI: 1-2), written instructions before hospital discharge (83% vs 76%; OR: 1; 95% CI: 0-5), rehabilitation (69% vs 39%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-9), monitoring (44% vs 29%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 1-5), guideline-directed medical therapy-HF use (94% vs 85%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 0-15), and less B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) dosage (73% vs 88%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-9), and key performance indicators (37% vs 60%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 1-7). In comparison to non- MHF-DMP, MHF-DMP was associated with more educational initiatives (42% vs 6%; OR: 12; 95% CI: 1-97), written instructions (83% vs 68%; OR: 2: 95% CI: 1-7), rehabilitation (69% vs 17%; OR: 11; 95% CI: 3-44), monitoring (47% vs 6%; OR: 14; 95% CI: 2-115), GDMT-HF (92% vs 83%; OR: 3; 95% CI: 0-15). In addition, there were less use of BNP as a biomarker (70% vs 84%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 1-8) and key performance indicators (35% vs 51%; OR: 2; 95% CI: 91,6) in the non-MHF group. Physicians considered changing or introducing new medications mostly when patients were hospitalized or when observing worsening disease and/or symptoms. Adherence to drug treatment and non-drug treatment factors were the greatest medical problems associated with HF treatment. CONCLUSION: HF-DMPs are highly heterogeneous. New strategies for HF care should consider the present study highlights and clinical decision-making processes to improve HF patient care.

Anticoagulação nas miocardiopatias / Anticoagulation in cardiomyopathies

As miocardiopatias são acompanhadas de alterações cardíacas estruturais e funcionais, bem como disfunção do sistema de coagulação, que predispõem à formação de trombos cavitários com conseqüente fenômeno tromboembólico, e contribuem para a morbidade e mortalidade da doença. A incidência dos fenômenos tromboembólicos é variável e depende de fatores como a etiologia da doença, o grau da disfunção ventricular e a repercussão funcional, a presença de trombo cavitário, e a associação com a fibrilação atrial. Todos esses fatores, associados aos riscos da anticoagulação e à falta de estudos randomizados, dificultam a padronização da terapêutica antitrombótica para essa população. Neste artigo serão discutidas a magnitude do problema nas miocardiopatias mais freqüentes em nosso meio, bem como as recomendações da anticoagulação.

Disfunção ventricular assintomática: como tratar? / Asymptomatic ventricular dysfunction: how to treat?

A síndrome da insuficiência cardíaca crônica é usualmente atribuída à disfunção sistólica do ventrículo esquerdo e acompanhada de sintomas de baixo débito cardíaco e fenômenos congestivos. É sabido que, na evolução da doença, muitos pacientes apresentam disfunção ventricular significativa e ausência de sintomas. A disfunção ventricular assintomática não é infreqüente na população geral. Está associada à ativação neuro-hormonal silenciosa, com potencial evolutivo para maior dilataçãoventricular, desenvolvimento de sintomas e aumento de mortalidade. A intervenção precoce com os inibidores da enzima de conversão da angiotensina e com os betabloqueadores adrenérgicos pode retardar a velocidade de dilatação ventricular, retardar o aparecimento de sintomas e reduzir a mortalidade...

Envolvimento cardíaco na lipodistrofia total generalizada (síndrome de Berardinelli-Seip) / Cardiac involvement in total generalized lipodystrophy (Berardinelli- Seip syndrome)

Total generalized lipodystrophy (Berardinelli--Seip Syndrome) is a rare hereditary disease characterized by insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus and a small quantity of adipose tissue and is of unknown origin. Common cardiovascular alterations related to this syndrome are cardiac hypertrophy and arterial hypertension. This article reports a case of Berardinelli--Seip syndrome and reviews the literature with special emphasis on the cardiovascular manifestations of this syndrome.

Betabloqueadores na insuficiência cardíaca / Beta-Blockers in heart failure

Com a melhor compreensäo da etiopatogênese e dos efeitos deletérios da ativaçäo neuro-hormonal na insuficiência cardíaca, começaram a ser exploradas drogas capazes de bloquear essa ativaçäo, particularmente a ativaçäo simpática e do sistema renina-angiotensina-aldosterona. Com o bloqueio do sistema renina-angiotensina-aldosterona pelos inibidores da enzima de conversäo da angiotensina, obteve-se reduçäo significativa da morbidade e da mortalidade da insuficiência cardíaca. Mais recentemente, objetivando bloquear a ativaçäo adrenérgica passou-se a explorar os efeitos dos betabloqueadores nos pacientes com insuficiência cardíaca, observando-se resultados altamente satisfatórios na reduçäo da morbidade e da mortalidade dos pacientes com disfunçäo ventricular sintomática.