Safety of Contemporary Heart Failure Therapy in Patients with Continuous-Flow Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Studies on the optimal pharmacological heart failure (HF) therapy after left ventricular assist device (LVAD)b implantation are scarce. From a pathophysiological perspective, neurohormonal blockade offers additional benefits to mechanical unloading. A small-scale study showed a beneficial effect of pharmacological HF therapy on the structure and function of the myocardium after LVAD implantation.(1) The burden of the common and serious long-term complications associated with heart failure progression (such as right heart failure (2) and ventricular arrhythmia (3)) call for an evaluation of the potential positive effects of intensified pharmacological heart failure therapy in patients on LVAD support.
Source: Journal of Cardiac Failure - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research