Practical recommendations for the use of ACE inhibitors, beta‐blockers, aldosterone antagonists and angiotensin receptor blockers in heart failure: Putting guidelines into practice
Open Access
- 7 August 2005
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in European Journal of Heart Failure
- Vol. 7 (5), 710-721
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejheart.2005.07.002
Abstract
Surveys of prescribing patterns in both hospitals and primary care have usually shown delays in translating the evidence from clinical trials of pharmacological agents into clinical practice, thereby denying patients with heart failure (HF) the benefits of drug treatments proven to improve well‐being and prolong life. This may be due to unfamiliarity with the evidence‐base for these therapies, the clinical guidelines recommending the use of these treatments or both, as well as concerns regarding adverse events. ACE inhibitors have long been the cornerstone of therapy for systolic HF irrespective of aetiology. Recent trials have now shown that treatment with beta‐blockers, aldosterone antagonists and angiotensin receptor blockers also leads to substantial improvements in outcome. In order to accelerate the safe uptake of these treatments and to ensure that all eligible patients receive the most appropriate medications, a clear and concise set of clinical recommendations has been prepared by a group of clinicians with practical expertise in the management of HF. The objective of these recommendations is to provide practical guidance for non‐specialists, in order to increase the use of evidenced based therapy for HF. These practical recommendations are meant to serve as a supplement to, rather than replacement of, existing HF guidelines.Keywords
This publication has 70 references indexed in Scilit:
- Sex, quality of care, and outcomes of elderly patients hospitalized with heart failure: Findings from the National Heart Failure ProjectAmerican Heart Journal, 2005
- Spironolactone-induced renal insufficiency and hyperkalemia in patients with heart failureAmerican Heart Journal, 2004
- β-blocker therapy for heart failure outside the clinical trial setting: Findings of a community-based registryAmerican Heart Journal, 2004
- Time trends in the use of β-blockers and other pharmacotherapies in older adults with congestive heart failureAmerican Heart Journal, 2004
- Current presentation and management of heart failure in cardiology and internal medicine hospital units: a tale of two worlds—the TEMISTOCLE studyAmerican Heart Journal, 2003
- The Effect of Spironolactone on Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Severe Heart FailureNew England Journal of Medicine, 1999
- Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors and Heart FailurePharmacoEconomics, 1999
- The Effect of Carvedilol on Morbidity and Mortality in Patients with Chronic Heart FailureNew England Journal of Medicine, 1996
- Effects of Enalapril on Mortality in Severe Congestive Heart FailureNew England Journal of Medicine, 1987
- Effect of Vasodilator Therapy on Mortality in Chronic Congestive Heart FailureNew England Journal of Medicine, 1986