Response and tolerance to oral vasodilator up-titration after intravenous vasodilator therapy in advanced decompensated heart failure.

Publication/Presentation Date

9-1-2015

Abstract

AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess the haemodynamic response and tolerance to aggressive oral hydralazine/isosorbide dinitrate (HYD/ISDN) up-titration after intravenous vasodilator therapy in advanced decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

METHODS AND RESULTS: Medical records of 147 consecutive ADHF patients who underwent placement of a pulmonary artery catheter and received intravenous vasodilator therapy were reviewed. Intravenous sodium nitroprusside and sodium nitroglycerin as first-line agent for those with preserved blood pressures were utilized in 143 and 32 patients, respectively. Sixty-one percent of patients were converted to oral HYD/ISDN combination therapy through a standardized conversion protocol. These patients had a significantly higher admission mean pulmonary arterial wedge pressure compared with patients not converted (28 ± 7 vs. 25 ± 8 mmHg, respectively; P-value 0.024). Beneficial haemodynamic response to decongestive therapy, defined as low cardiac filling pressures and cardiac index ≥2.20 L/min/m(2) without emergent hypotension, was achieved in 32% and 29% of patients who did or did not receive oral HYD/ISDN, respectively (P-value 0.762). HYD/ISDN dosing was progressively and consistently decreased up to the moment of hospital discharge and during outpatient follow-up, primarily due to incident hypotension.

CONCLUSION: The use of a standardized haemodynamically guided up-titration protocol for conversion from intravenous to oral vasodilators may warrant subsequent dose reductions upon stabilization.

Volume

17

Issue

9

First Page

956

Last Page

963

ISSN

1879-0844

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

PubMedID

26213182

Department(s)

Cardiology Division, Department of Medicine

Document Type

Article

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