In the last 40 years, pharmacological therapy for chronic heart failure has rapidly expanded beyond diuretics and digoxin. Standard pharmacological therapy includes beta blockers and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system antagonists. Even with existing contemporary pharmacological therapy, which has substantially improved outcomes, prognosis is fairly poor. The treatment of heart failure continues to evolve with the integration of the results from landmark clinical trials into contemporary therapy. Development of novel therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this disease is crucial. Some of these new approaches will be briefly discussed.

INTRODUCTIONPeripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but life-threatening condition. We report 11 patients admitted to the National Heart Centre Singapore with a diagnosis of PPCM over a period of 14 months.

METHODSBaseline demographics, pregnancy history, haematology, serum biochemistry and echocardiographic findings of women admitted with a diagnosis of PPCM were analysed.

RESULTSThe incidence of PPCM was 0.89 per 1,000 live births in our cohort. 63.6% of the patients were Malay and 27.3% were Chinese. 45.5% of the patients were smokers and 45.5% had a history of pregnancy-induced hypertension or preeclampsia. There was no maternal mortality. Mean left ventricular ejection fractions at diagnosis and at six months were 26.9% ± 9.1% and 51.9% ± 10.6%, respectively. Mean left ventricular internal diameters in end-diastole at diagnosis and at six months were 5.5 ± 0.5 cm and 5.1 ± 0.6 cm, respectively. All patients were treated successfully for the acute episode and all but one patient had returned to New York Heart Association functional class I status at six months.

CONCLUSIONPPCM remains a rare condition and appears to occur more commonly in Malay patients. Smoking and pregnancy-induced hypertension appear to be significant risk factors. While short-term outcome remains excellent, collaborative studies with other tertiary centres will help enhance our understanding of the long-term management of and clinical outcomes in these patients.

Adult ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cardiology ; methods ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; complications ; diagnosis ; Pre-Eclampsia ; diagnosis ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular ; Puerperal Disorders ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; Smoking ; adverse effects ; Tertiary Care Centers

INTRODUCTIONDiuretics are the mainstay of therapy for restoring the euvolaemic state in patients with decompensated heart failure. However, diuretic resistance remains a challenge.

METHODSWe conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the efficacy and safety of ultrafiltration (UF) in 44 hospitalised patients who had decompensated heart failure and diuretic resistance between October 2011 and July 2013.

RESULTSAmong the 44 patients, 18 received UF (i.e. UF group), while 26 received diuretics (i.e. standard care group). After 48 hours, the UF group achieved lower urine output (1,355 mL vs. 3,815 mL, p = 0.0003), greater fluid loss (5,058 mL vs. 1,915 mL, p < 0.0001) and greater weight loss (5.0 kg vs. 1.0 kg, p < 0.0001) than the standard care group. The UF group also had a shorter duration of hospitalisation (5.0 days vs. 9.5 days, p = 0.0010). There were no differences in the incidence of 30-day emergency department visits and rehospitalisations for heart failure between the two groups. At 90 days, the UF group had fewer emergency department visits (0.2 vs. 0.8, p = 0.0500) and fewer rehospitalisations for heart failure (0.3 vs. 1.0, p = 0.0442). Reduction in EQ-5D™ scores was greater in the UF group, both at discharge (2.7 vs. 1.4, p = 0.0283) and 30 days (2.5 vs. 0.3, p = 0.0033). No adverse events were reported with UF.

CONCLUSIONUF is an effective and safe treatment that can improve the health outcomes of Asian patients with decompensated heart failure and diuretic resistance.

Aged ; Diuretics ; therapeutic use ; Drug Resistance ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Heart Failure ; therapy ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Readmission ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrafiltration