Association between sleep disordered breathing, neurocognitive impairment and diastolic function in acute heart failure patients: an insight after the vulnerable phase of the hospitalization.

Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and neurocognitive impairment (NI) are a typical feature of HF (heart failure), especially with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). So far, very few data exist regarding changes in the severity of SDB, the degree of NI, and the diastolic function in acute HF (AHF) patients and during follow up. In a population of 24 AHF patients (12 with reduced ejection fraction-HFrEF- and 12 HFpEF) with SDB a complete echocardiogram, a set of NI tests, and a polysomnography were performed in the acute phase and after 90 days. A control group of 12 non-HF patients hospitalized for other cardiovascular causes was considered. At baseline, SDB were present both in HFpEF and HFrEF, and a consistent reduction of apneic events was observed at follow up. Improvements in diastolic and right ventricular function were documented at three months compared to baseline, both in HFpEF and in HFrEF. Compared to HFrEF patients and controls, HFpEF patients showed lower NI scores at baseline tests, but a more significant improvement at three months follow-up. In AHF patients with SDB the achievement of a better compensation could lead to important beneficial effect not only on echocardiographic variables and nocturnal respiratory profile, but also on NI, especially in HFpEF.

[Diagnosis and treatment of anemia in heart failure patients]. / Diagnosi e trattamento dell'anemia nello scompenso cardiaco.

Anemia is a common comorbidity in patients with acute and chronic heart failure (HF) with preserved and reduced systolic function. It is recognized as a new therapeutic goal in HF since the reduction in hemoglobin levels is considered a significant independent predictive factor of mortality and hospitalization. At present, it is difficult to determine the real magnitude of the problem in terms of actual incidence and prevalence as no consistent definition of anemia associated with HF does exist, and a variety of hemoglobin thresholds have been used in clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The etiology of anemia is multifactorial with the main causes including renal failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and nutritional deficiency. Nevertheless, such criteria are not present in some patients, who show a peculiar type of anemia that may be classified as anemia of chronic diseases, likely due to the chronic inflammatory process of HF. No guidelines for the treatment of anemia in HF patients are available. Most of the previous studies in the literature are limited by small sample sizes. The very few randomized multicenter studies that evaluated the effects of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents associated with intravenous iron therapy did not provide the expected results. Indeed, despite an increase in hemoglobin levels, they did not show any improvement of NYHA functional class, nor of left ventricular ejection fraction. In addition, reasonable hemoglobin levels as a goal of therapy have not been established yet, in particular in relation to the side effects and the cardiovascular risk observed after the administration of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in oncologic patients. Further studies are warranted to define the magnitude of the problem and establish appropriate therapeutic strategies. It is likely that more reliable data will be derived from an ongoing randomized, double-blind, multicenter study, the RED-HF (Reduction Event with Darbepoetin alfa in Heart Failure), which aims at evaluating morbidity and mortality in a cohort of 2600 HF patients with anemia treated with darbepoetin alfa.