Carress

BACKGROUND: The relationship between changes in serum sodium with clinical events in acute heart failure patients using different decongestive events has not been investigated. This study aimed to describe changes in serum sodium levels during decongestion therapy in patients receiving stepped pharmacological therapy versus ultrafiltration. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 188 patients who were enrolled in the CARRESS-HF trial (Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure)...

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the prevalence, profile, and prognosis of severe obesity in a large contemporary acute heart failure (AHF) population. BACKGROUND: Better prognosis has been reported for obese heart failure (HF) patients than nonobese HF patients, but in other cardiovascular populations, this effect has not been demonstrated for severely obese patients. METHODS: A cohort of 795 participants with body mass index (BMI) measured at time of admission and complete follow-up were identified from enrollment in 3 contemporary AHF trials (DOSE [Diuretic Strategies Optimization Evaluation], CARRESS-HF [Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure], and ROSE [Renal Optimization Strategies Evaluation in Acute Heart Failure])...

BACKGROUND: Readmission or death after heart failure (HF) hospitalization is a consequential and closely scrutinized outcome, but risk factors may vary by population. We characterized the risk factors for post-discharge readmission/death in subjects treated for acute heart failure (AHF). METHODS AND RESULTS: A post hoc analysis was performed on data from 744 subjects enrolled in 3 AHF trials conducted within the Heart Failure Network (HFN): Diuretic Optimization Strategies Evaluation in Acute Heart Failure (DOSE-AHF), Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARRESS-HF), and Renal Optimization Strategies Evaluation in Acute Heart Failure (ROSE-AHF)...

BACKGROUND: Farm workers in rural areas consume more alcohol than those who reside in urban areas. Occupational exposures such as agricultural work can pose hazards on the respiratory system. It is established that hog barn dust induces inflammation in the airway, including the release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and IL-8. We have shown that alcohol alters airway epithelial innate defense through changes in both nitric oxide (NO) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA)...

BACKGROUND: Though commonly noted in clinical practice, it is unknown if decongestion in acute heart failure (AHF) results in increased serum bicarbonate. METHODS AND RESULTS: For 678 AHF patients in the DOSE-AHF, CARRESS-HF, and ROSE-AHF trials, we assessed change in bicarbonate (baseline to 72-96 hours) according to decongestion strategy, and the relationship between bicarbonate change and protocol-defined decongestion. Median baseline bicarbonate was 28 mEq/L...

BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function in heart failure may be related to increased venous congestion, decreased cardiac output, or both. Diuretics are universally used in acute decompensated heart failure, but they may be ineffective and may lead to azotemia. We aimed to compare the decongestive properties of a urine output-guided diuretic adjustment and standard therapy for the management of cardiorenal syndrome in acute decompensated heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS: Data were pooled from subjects randomized to the stepwise pharmacologic care algorithm (SPCA) in the CARRESS-HF trial and those who developed cardiorenal syndrome (rise in creatinine >0...

BACKGROUND: Congestion is the most frequent cause for hospitalization in acute decompensated heart failure. Although decongestion is a major goal of acute therapy, it is unclear how the clinical components of congestion (eg, peripheral edema, orthopnea) contribute to outcomes after discharge or how well decongestion is maintained. METHODS AND RESULTS: A post hoc analysis was performed of 496 patients enrolled in the Diuretic Optimization Strategy Evaluation in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (DOSE-AHF) and Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARRESS-HF) trials during hospitalization with acute decompensated heart failure and clinical congestion...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Modern food animal production is a major contributor to the global economy, owing to advanced intensive indoor production facilities aimed at increasing market readiness and profit. Consequences of these advances are accumulation of dusts, gases, and microbial products that diminish air quality within production facilities. Chronic inhalation exposure contributes to onset and exacerbation of respiratory symptoms and diseases in animals and workers. This article reviews literature regarding constituents of farm animal production facility dusts, animal responses to production building and organic dust exposure, and the effect of chronic inhalation exposure on pulmonary oxidative stress and inflammation...

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between biomarkers of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) activation and decongestion strategies, worsening renal function, and clinical outcomes. BACKGROUND: High-dose diuretic therapy in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) is thought to activate the RAAS; and alternative decongestion strategies, such as ultrafiltration (UF), have been proposed to mitigate this RAAS activation. METHODS: This study analyzed 427 AHF patients enrolled in the DOSE-AHF (Diuretic Optimization Strategies in Acute Heart Failure) and CARRESS-HF (Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure) trials...

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Most patients admitted to the hospital with ADHF do not achieve adequate relief of signs and symptoms of congestion. Patients with inadequate decongestion are known to be at higher risk of readmission for heart failure and mortality, although it is uncertain whether this is a cause or simply a marker of increased risk. Nonetheless, adequate decongestion is critical for improving quality of life. Based on the DOSE-AHF and CARRESS-HF studies, a high-dose diuretic regimen consisting of 2.5 times the daily dose of loop diuretic in furosemide equivalents, administered in twice-daily bolus doses, is reasonable to achieve a goal of 3-5 liters of urine output per day...

A significant proportion of patients treated for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) suffer from worsening renal function, which is often associated with medical therapy resistance and poor outcome. In this setting, haemofiltration has been used for more than 30 years, despite inconclusive evidence for its advantages. In the last decade, a major technological advances have made available a new technique, ultrafiltration, which works at lower blood flow rates and requires only a venous access. As in a first proof-of-concept study (EUPHORIA), ultrafiltration proved to be efficacious in fluid removal in ADHF patients; this treatment was further investigated in randomized controlled trials...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

The Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure (CARRESS-HF) trial was a prospective, randomized study comparing ultrafiltration versus pharmacological therapy in the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) complicated by cardiorenal syndrome Bart et al. (N Eng J Med 367:2296-2304, 1). The study found that ultrafiltration was inferior to pharmacological therapy, resulting in a significant increase in serum creatinine and serious adverse events while producing no significant difference in weight loss...

BACKGROUND: Congestion represents the common pathogenetic mechanism of both the acute decompensation episodes of heart failure and progression of the syndrome; it also increases the risk of rehospitalization, and is associated with renal function worsening. Diuretic therapy still represent the mainstay of therapy of congestion; however, ultrafiltration (i.e., fluid removal from blood by hemoconcentration obtained with dedicated machines) has been recently suggested as a more rapid and effective alternative to the conventional therapeutic approach...

Over the last decade, the treatment of heart failure has seen the introduction of several novel therapeutic avenues into the guidelines; however, these were mostly devoted to device therapies. Not much has changed with regards to the pharmacological treatment of this syndrome. Serelaxin, a recombinant form of the human peptide hormone relaxin-2, is a promising treatment candidate for patients presenting with acute heart failure. The Relaxin in Acute Heart Failure (RELAX-AHF) trial has shown beneficial effects in terms of relief of dyspnea and congestion in these patients...

BACKGROUND: Worsening renal function is common among patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). When this occurs, subsequent management decisions often pit the desire for effective decongestion against concerns about further worsening renal function. There are no evidence-based treatments or guidelines to assist in these difficult management decisions. Ultrafiltration is a potentially attractive alternative to loop diuretics for the management of fluid overload in patients with ADHF and worsening renal function...

The treatment of acute decompensated heart failure in the presence of progressive renal dysfunction is a commonly encountered dilemma in clinical practice. Also known as cardiorenal syndrome, this complex disease state has forced researchers and clinicians to develop new treatment strategies to relieve the symptomatic congestion of heart failure while preserving renal function. Loop diuretics remain the standard of pharmacologic treatment of acute heart failure, but their effects on renal function have been called into question...

BACKGROUND: Giving birth to a stillborn child is a tragedy. The aim of this study is to investigate the meeting of mothers with their stillborn children and the women's experiences of support during and after the delivery. METHODS: In a nationwide study in Sweden, data from 636 women who gave birth to a stillborn or live baby were collected by means of an anonymous postal questionnaire in 1994. RESULTS: Among the 314 women who gave birth to a stillborn child, nearly every mother had seen her child, and 80 percent had carressed her baby...

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