Recommended drugs underused in heart failure

And doses are often too low
Clare Pain Reuters Health

Medications recommended for chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) continue to be underused, according to findings from a Dutch registry study.

Adherence to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC)’s drug-therapy guidelines was examined in more than 10,900 patients enrolled in the CHECK-HF registry in the study, led by Dr Hans-Peter Brunner-La Rocca from Maastricht University Medical Centre.

The Australian heart failure guidelines, like the ESC ones, recommend an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor (or if contraindicated an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB)), beta-blocker and mineralocorticoid-receptor antagonist in all patients with HFrEF and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%.

Two thirds of the Dutch participants had a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%, while 19% had LVEF between 40%-49%.