GLIM criteria for the diagnosis of malnutrition - A consensus report from the global clinical nutrition community.

RATIONALE: This initiative is focused on building a global consensus around core diagnostic criteria for malnutrition in adults in clinical settings. METHODS: In January 2016, the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) was convened by several of the major global clinical nutrition societies. GLIM appointed a core leadership committee and a supporting working group with representatives bringing additional global diversity and expertise. Empirical consensus was reached through a series of face-to-face meetings, telephone conferences, and e-mail communications. RESULTS: A two-step approach for the malnutrition diagnosis was selected, i.e., first screening to identify "at risk" status by the use of any validated screening tool, and second, assessment for diagnosis and grading the severity of malnutrition. The malnutrition criteria for consideration were retrieved from existing approaches for screening and assessment. Potential criteria were subjected to a ballot among the GLIM core and supporting working group members. The top five ranked criteria included three phenotypic criteria (weight loss, low body mass index, and reduced muscle mass) and two etiologic criteria (reduced food intake or assimilation, and inflammation or disease burden). To diagnose malnutrition at least one phenotypic criterion and one etiologic criterion should be present. Phenotypic metrics for grading severity as Stage 1 (moderate) and Stage 2 (severe) malnutrition are proposed. It is recommended that the etiologic criteria be used to guide intervention and anticipated outcomes. The recommended approach supports classification of malnutrition into four etiology-related diagnosis categories. CONCLUSION: A consensus scheme for diagnosing malnutrition in adults in clinical settings on a global scale is proposed. Next steps are to secure further collaboration and endorsements from leading nutrition professional societies, to identify overlaps with syndromes like cachexia and sarcopenia, and to promote dissemination, validation studies, and feedback. The diagnostic construct should be re-considered every 3-5 years.

Diuretics for heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Chronic heart failure is a major cause of morbidity and mortality world-wide. Diuretics are regarded as the first-line treatment for patients with congestive heart failure since they provide symptomatic relief. The effects of diuretics on disease progression and survival remain unclear. OBJECTIVES: To assess the harms and benefits of diuretics for chronic heart failure SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Issue 2 2004), MEDLINE 1966-2004, EMBASE 1980-2004 and HERDIN database. We hand searched pertinent journals and reference lists of papers were inspected. We also contacted manufacturers and researchers in the field. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only double-blinded randomised controlled trials of diuretic therapy comparing one diuretic with placebo, or one diuretic with another active agent (e.g. ACE inhibitors, digoxin) in patients with chronic heart failure were eligible for inclusion. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently abstracted the data and assessed the eligibility and methodological quality of each trial. Extracted data were entered into the Review Manager 4.2 computer software, and analysed by determining the odds ratio for dichotomous data, and difference in means for continuous data, of the treated group compared with controls. The likelihood of heterogeneity of the study population was assessed by the Chi-square test. If there was no evidence of statistical heterogeneity and pooling of results was clinically appropriate, a combined estimate was obtained using the fixed-effects model. MAIN RESULTS: We included 14 trials (525 participants), 7 were placebo-controlled, and 7 compared diuretics against other agents such as ACE inhibitors or digoxin. We analysed the data for mortality and for worsening heart failure. Mortality data were available in 3 of the placebo-controlled trials (202 participants). Mortality was lower for participants treated with diuretics than for placebo, odds ratio (OR) for death 0.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.07 to 0.83; P = 0.02. Admission for worsening heart failure was reduced in those taking diuretics in two trials (169 participants), OR 0.07 (95% CI 0.01 to 0.52; P = 0.01). In four trials comparing diuretics to active control (91 participants), diuretics improved exercise capacity in participants with CHF, difference in means WMD 0.72 , 95% CI 0.40 to 1.04; P < 0.0001. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: The available data from several small trials show that in patients with chronic heart failure, conventional diuretics appear to reduce the risk of death and worsening heart failure compared to placebo. Compared to active control, diuretics appear to improve exercise capacity.

Echocardiographic features and brain natriuretic peptides in patients presenting with heart failure and preserved systolic function.

OBJECTIVE: To characterise patients who appear to fulfil the diagnosis of heart failure with preserved systolic function clinically, echocardiographically, and by concentrations of brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP). METHODS: 102 new cases of heart failure were identified over 24 months in 213 patients referred to a rapid access heart failure clinic. Patients with heart failure and preserved systolic function with contemporary markers of diastolic function were assessed to evaluate their cardiac status further. RESULTS: Forty patients (39%) had an ejection fraction (EF) < 45% and 62 (61%) had an EF > or = 45%. Of these 62 patients, 30 (48%) fulfilled the case definition of diastolic heart failure. The remaining 32 (52%) had neither an EF < 45% nor abnormalities of diastolic function. Dobutamine stress echocardiography was performed on 26 (42%) patients with EF > or = 45%, which provided an alternative explanation for symptoms in 15 (58%) patients. Concentrations of BNP were higher in patients with diastolic abnormalities (mean (SEM) 101.4 (32.5) pg/ml v 58.4 (6.78) pg/ml, p = 0.042) and with no diastolic abnormalities (199 (37.9) pg/ml v 58.4 (6.78) pg/ml, p < 0.0001) than in patients with no heart failure. CONCLUSION: Among ambulatory patients presenting with suspected heart failure in the community 19% have systolic dysfunction, 14% have diastolic dysfunction, and 15% seemingly have heart failure with neither systolic nor diastolic dysfunction. A new understanding, including alternative parameters of diastolic function, seems to be necessary to classify patients with heart failure and preserved systolic function.

Effect of CO2 inhalation on central sleep apnea and arousals from sleep.

BACKGROUND: CO(2) inhalation reduces central sleep apnea (CSA) in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and idiopathic CSA. CO(2) is also a stimulus for cortical arousal, which has been linked to increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and increased mortality in CHF patients with CSA. OBJECTIVE: We have tested the hypothesis that during sleep, inhalation of CO(2) sufficient to reduce the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) would not reduce the arousal index (AroI). METHODS: In 10 male patients with CSA (7 with CHF and 3 with idiopathic CSA), the inspired CO(2) concentration was increased to raise the sleeping end-tidal CO(2) by 2-4 mm Hg during established stage 2 sleep. Each intervention was maintained for a 10-min period. Sleep stage was monitored with electroencephalograms, electrooculograms, submental electromyogram, airflow with pneumotachometer and respiratory effort and blood gases with oxygen saturation and end-tidal CO(2). During periods of air and CO(2) breathing, AHI and AroI were compared with paired t tests; patients acted as their own controls. RESULTS: Inhalation of CO(2) produced a significant reduction in AHI (mean +/- SEM) from 74.4 +/- 12.4 events/h during air breathing to 25.8 +/- 7.8 events/h with CO(2) inhalation (p = 0.002). However, the AroI was not significantly different between the two conditions, air 67.8 +/- 12.3 events/h and CO(2) inhalation 52.8 +/- 12.4 events/h (p = 0.264). CONCLUSION: CO(2) inhalation reverses CSA but not arousals from sleep. Our findings highlight the need for treatment options that reduce both respiratory events and decrease arousals from sleep, with their associated SNA sequelae.

Exercise based rehabilitation for heart failure.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of chronic heart failure is increasing, and increases with increasing age. Major symptoms include breathlessness and restricted activities of daily living due to reduced functional capacity, which in turn affects quality of life. Exercise training has been shown to be effective in patients with coronary heart disease and has been proposed as an intervention to improve exercise tolerance in patients with heart failure. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness of exercise based interventions compared with usual medical care on the mortality, morbidity, exercise capacity and health related quality of life, of patients with heart failure. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (The Cochrane Library Issue 2, 2001), MEDLINE (2000 to March 2001), EMBASE (1998 to March 2001), CINAHL (1984 to March 2001) and reference lists of articles. We also sought advice from experts. SELECTION CRITERIA: RCTs of exercise based interventions. The comparison group was usual medical care as defined by the study, or placebo. Adults of all ages with chronic heart failure. Only those studies with criteria for diagnosis of heart failure (based on clinical findings or objective indices) have been included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Studies were selected, and data were abstracted, independently by two reviewers. Authors were contacted where possible to obtain missing information. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria, with 1126 patients randomised. The majority of studies included both patients with primary and secondary heart failure, NYHA class II or III. None of the studies specifically examined the effect of exercise training on mortality and morbidity as most were of short duration. Exercise training significantly increased VO(2) max by (WMD random effects model) 2.16 ml/kg/min (95% CI 2.82 to 1.49), exercise duration increased by 2.38 minutes (95% CI 2.85 to 1.9), work capacity by 15.1 Watts (95% CI 17.7 to 12.6) and distance on the six minute walk by 40.9 metres (95% CI 64.7 to 17.1). Improvements in VO(2) max were greater for training programmes of greater intensity and duration. HRQoL improved in the seven of nine trials that measured this outcome. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: Exercise training improves exercise capacity and quality of life in patients mild to moderate heart failure in the short term. There is currently no information regarding the effect of exercise training on clinical outcomes. The findings are based on small-scale trials in patients who are unrepresentative of the total population of patients with heart failure. Other groups (more severe patients, the elderly, women) may also benefit. Large-scale pragmatic trials of exercise training of longer duration, recruiting a wider spectrum of patients are needed to address these issues.

Effects of carvedilol on left ventricular remodelling in chronic stable heart failure: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance study.

BACKGROUND: The ability of beta blockers to improve left ventricular function has been demonstrated, but data on the effects on cardiac remodelling are limited. OBJECTIVE: To investigate, using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), the effects of carvedilol on left ventricular remodelling in patients with chronic stable heart failure and left ventricular systolic dysfunction caused by coronary artery disease. DESIGN: Randomised, double blind, placebo controlled study. SETTING: Chronic stable heart failure. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: 34 patients with chronic stable heart failure and left ventricular systolic function taking part in the CHRISTMAS trial (double blind carvedilol v placebo) underwent CMR before randomisation and after six months of treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Left ventricular remodelling at six months. RESULTS: The carvedilol and placebo groups were well balanced at baseline, with no significant intergroup differences. Over the study period, there was a significant reduction in end systolic volume index (ESV(I)) and end diastolic volume index (EDV(I)) between the carvedilol and the placebo group (carvedilol -9 v placebo +3 ml/m2, p = 0.0004; carvedilol -8 v placebo 0 ml/m2, p = 0.05). The ejection fraction increased significantly between the groups (carvedilol +3% v placebo -2%, p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment of chronic stable heart failure with carvedilol results in significant improvement in left ventricular volumes and function. These effects might contribute to the benefits of carvedilol on mortality and morbidity in patients with chronic heart failure.

Exercise training meta-analysis of trials in patients with chronic heart failure (ExTraMATCH).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of exercise training on survival in patients with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. DESIGN: Collaborative meta-analysis. Inclusion criteria Randomised parallel group controlled trials of exercise training for at least eight weeks with individual patient data on survival for at least three months. Studies reviewed Nine datasets, totalling 801 patients: 395 received exercise training and 406 were controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Death from all causes. RESULTS: During a mean (SD) follow up of 705 (729) days there were 88 (22%) deaths in the exercise arm and 105 (26%) in the control arm. Exercise training significantly reduced mortality (hazard ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval, 0.46 to 0.92; log rank chi(2) = 5.9; P = 0.015). The secondary end point of death or admission to hospital was also reduced (0.72, 0.56 to 0.93; log rank chi(2) = 6.4; P = 0.011). No statistically significant subgroup specific treatment effect was observed. CONCLUSION: Meta-analysis of randomised trials to date gives no evidence that properly supervised medical training programmes for patients with heart failure might be dangerous, and indeed there is clear evidence of an overall reduction in mortality. Further research should focus on optimising exercise programmes and identifying appropriate patient groups to target.

Differentiation of heart failure related to dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease using gadolinium-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure treatment depends partly on the underlying cause of the disease. We evaluated cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) for the problem of differentiating dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) from left ventricular (LV) dysfunction caused by coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS AND RESULTS: Late gadolinium enhancement with CMR was performed in 90 patients with heart failure and LV systolic dysfunction (63 patients with DCM and unobstructed coronary arteries and 27 with significant CAD at angiography). We also studied 15 control subjects with no coronary risk factors and/or unobstructed coronary arteries. None (0%) of the control subjects had myocardial gadolinium enhancement; however, all patients (100%) with LV dysfunction and CAD had enhancement, which was subendocardial or transmural. In patients with DCM, there were 3 findings: no enhancement (59%); myocardial enhancement indistinguishable from the patients with CAD (13%); and patchy or longitudinal striae of midwall enhancement clearly different from the distribution in patients with CAD (28%). CONCLUSIONS: Gadolinium CMR is a powerful technique to distinguish DCM from LV dysfunction related to CAD and yields new insights in DCM. These data suggest that using the coronary angiogram as the arbiter for the presence of LV dysfunction caused by CAD could have lead to an incorrect assignment of DCM cause in 13% of patients, possibly because of coronary recanalization after infarction. The midwall myocardial enhancement in patients with DCM is similar to the fibrosis found at autopsy; it has not previously been visualized in vivo and warrants further investigation. CMR may become a useful alternative to routine coronary angiography in the diagnostic workup of DCM.

Influence of gender and reported alcohol intake on mortality in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Between 1994-1998, we retrospectively studied a cohort of 396 consecutive patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, mean age 53 +/- 15 years, 74% men. The history of alcohol intake was abstracted from the medical records. During a follow-up period of 42 +/- 26 months, 83 (76% men) patients died and 15 (80% men) underwent cardiac transplantation. Men were younger and more likely to have a history of excessive alcohol intake compared with women. Gender significantly modified the risk of alcohol consumption on mortality. Although alcohol intake increased the mortality risk in women, it was protective toward death in men (hazards ratios for death were 7.3 vs. 0.44). The effect of alcohol intake on outcome was reassessed after classifying the patients into 4 groups: group 1: life-long nondrinkers; group 2: former drinkers; group 3: moderate drinkers; and group 4: heavy drinkers. Similar findings were seen. This study demonstrated that the risk of reported alcohol intake on mortality is related to gender in patients with nonischemic heart failure. Our findings deserve further study, including a larger number of females, as a possible way to improve outcome in such patients.

DANAMI-2: is primary angioplasty superior to thrombolysis in acute MI when the patient has to be transferred to an invasive centre?

Primary angioplasty is superior to thrombolysis in acute myocardial infarction when performed in a timely manner but the benefits are unknown when inter-hospital transfer is required for angioplasty. On the 20th March 2002 at the American College of Cardiology 51st Annual Scientific Session, the results of the Danish Multicentre Randomized Trial on Thrombolytic Therapy versus Acute Coronary Angioplasty in Acute Myocardial Infarction (DANAMI-2) were presented. 1,572 patients were randomized to front loaded tPA or angioplasty on presentation within 12 h of acute myocardial infarction; 1,129 from hospitals requiring transfer for up to 3 h for angioplasty. The trial was stopped early since there was a 40% relative reduction in the composite primary end-point of death, disabling stroke or reinfarction within 30 days (absolute reduction 13.7 to 8%, p=0.0003) with primary angioplasty. This appeared to be driven by a significant reduction of reinfarction from 6.3 to 1.6%. Ambulance transfer was shown to be safe but time to angioplasty was approximately 60 min longer than time to thrombolysis. No data are as yet available on the relative infarct sizes or left ventricular function in the two groups. The management of acute myocardial infarction is an area of missed opportunities. Patients present late to hospital, up to 30% of eligible patients do not receive reperfusion therapy and door to needle time is longer than is ideal. Whilst we await the full details of the trial and long term follow-up, we should not forget the challenges of conventional management of acute myocardial infarction.

Clinical depression is common and significantly associated with reduced survival in patients with non-ischaemic heart failure.

Several studies have shown that depression is an important predictor of morbidity and mortality in patients with ischaemic heart failure. We have investigated whether clinically recognised depression is linked to mortality in patients with non-ischaemic heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in the Royal Brompton Hospital (RBH), a tertiary cardiac centre located in London, UK. We retrospectively examined a cohort of 396 consecutive adult patients with DCM who satisfied our inclusion and exclusion criteria identified from an echocardiographic database and the hospital medical records. Mean age was 53+/-15 years. In all, 83 patients (21%) were clinically depressed, the majority of which (60%) were taking antidepressant therapy. After a follow-up period of 48 months, 83 (21%) patients died, 15 (4%) underwent cardiac transplantation and 130 (33%) were readmitted; 29 (35%) of the deaths and 40 (31%) of the readmissions were among clinically depressed patients. After 5 years, clinically depressed patients had significantly higher mortality and readmission rates than non-depressed; 36 vs. 16% (hazards ratio for death, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.4-6.4; P=0.004), and 87 vs. 74% (hazards ratio for readmission, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.07-0.90; P=0.03), respectively. The risk of depression was greatly increased in the presence of other recognised adverse clinical variables at baseline. Depression increases the risk of death and readmission in patients with heart failure secondary to non-ischaemic DCM. The risk associated with depression appears to be greatest among patients with milder disease, those with a shorter duration of symptoms and those demonstrating a lower systolic or diastolic blood pressure, renal impairment, or a restrictive left ventricular physiology on echocardiography. Interventions targeted at reducing depression warrant further study as a possible way to improve quality of life and/or outcome in patients with heart failure.

Hospitalization of patients with heart failure: a population-based study.

AIMS: To describe the clinical course of heart failure in a population-based sample of incident cases, and to identify factors predicting hospitalization and mortality. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three hundred and thirty-two incident cases were identified over 15 months; 208 inpatients and 124 outpatients. Thirty-eight inpatients died during the first hospital admission (case fatality 18%) leaving 294 at risk of subsequent hospitalization. Over an average follow-up of 19 months, 173 cases were hospitalized on 311 occasions. Two hundred and twenty-four (72%) of these admissions were unplanned, with 51% due to worsening heart failure. One hundred and ten cases died over the same period. Cases diagnosed as an inpatient had 26 more admissions for worsening heart failure per 100 cases during follow-up (95% CI 9 to 44) compared to cases diagnosed as an outpatient, and also a higher mortality (hazard ratio 3.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 5.1)). Age was the only factor associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for worsening heart failure, but age, functional class and serum creatinine were predictive of mortality. CONCLUSIONS: New cases of heart failure are at high risk of subsequent hospitalization, especially during the first months after diagnosis. Whilst predicting which patients will be hospitalized is difficult, interventions designed to reduce hospitalizations for worsening heart failure should be targeted at elderly inpatients with a new diagnosis.

Incremental changes in QRS duration in serial ECGs over time identify high risk elderly patients with heart failure.

AIMS: To investigate the hypothesis that changes in the ECG over time may be an important and readily available marker of prognostic value in patients with heart failure. METHODS: 112 elderly patients (81 men) with stable heart failure, a mean (SD) age of 73.3 (4.4) years, left ventricular ejection fraction 38 (17)%, and peak oxygen consumption 15.1 (4.7) ml/kg/min had ECG measurements on two occasions a minimum of 12 (5) months apart. RESULTS: During the subsequent follow up period (mean 27 (17) months) 45 patients died. QRS duration (p = 0.001) and heart rate (p = 0.03) at baseline were found by Cox proportional hazard method analysis to predict adverse outcomes in these patients. Of the changes in ECG parameters between the first and second visit, broadening of QRS duration (p = 0.001) predicted mortality. On Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, patients with < 5% change in QRS duration had fewer end points than patients with 5-20% change. A > 20% increase in QRS duration was associated with the worst prognosis. Progressive prolongation of QRS duration correlated closely with deterioration of LV systolic and diastolic function. CONCLUSION: A single measurement of QRS duration has significant prognostic value in elderly patients with heart failure and the increase in QRS duration over time is an even better predictor of adverse out comes.