Medicines optimization prior to discharge in patients admitted to hospital with heart failure.

AIMS: Approximately half of patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction (HeFREF) are discharged from hospital on triple therapy [angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), beta-blockers (BBs), and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs)]. We investigated what proportion of patients are on optimal doses prior to discharge and how many might be eligible for initiation of sacubitril-valsartan or sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2Is). METHODS AND RESULTS: Between 2012 and 2017, 1277 patients admitted with suspected heart failure were enrolled at a single hospital serving a local community around Kingston upon Hull, UK. Eligibility for sacubitril-valsartan or SGLT2I was based on entry criteria for the PIONEER-HF, DAPA-HF, and EMPEROR-Reduced trials. Four hundred fifty-five patients had HeFREF with complete data on renal function, heart rate, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) prior to discharge. Eighty-three per cent of patients were taking an ACE-I or ARB, 85% a BB, and 63% an MRA at discharge. More than 60% of patients were eligible for sacubitril-valsartan and >70% for SGLT2I. Among those not already receiving a prescription, 37%, 28%, and 49% were eligible to start ACE-I or ARB, BB, and MRA, respectively. Low SBP (≤105 mmHg) was the most frequent explanation for failure to initiate or up-titrate therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients admitted for heart failure are eligible for initiation of life-prolonging medications prior to discharge. A hospital admission may be a common missed opportunity to improve treatment for patients with HeFREF.

Prognostic value of the chest X-ray in patients hospitalised for heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Patients admitted to hospital with heart failure will have had a chest X-ray (CXR), but little is known about their prognostic significance. We aimed to report the prevalence and prognostic value of the initial chest radiograph findings in patients admitted to hospital with heart failure (acute heart failure, AHF). METHODS: The erect CXRs of all patients admitted with AHF between October 2012 and November 2016 were reviewed for pulmonary venous congestion, Kerley B lines, pleural effusions and alveolar oedema. Film projection (whether anterior-posterior [AP] or posterior-anterior [PA]) and cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) were also recorded. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN96643197 RESULTS: Of 1145 patients enrolled, 975 [median (interquartile range) age 77 (68-83) years, 61% with moderate, or worse, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and median NT-proBNP 5047 (2337-10,945) ng/l] had an adequate initial radiograph, of which 691 (71%) were AP. The median CTR was 0.57 (IQR 0.53-0.61) in PA films and 0.60 (0.55-0.64) in AP films. Pulmonary venous congestion was present in 756 (78%) of films, Kerley B lines in 688 (71%), pleural effusions in 649 (67%) and alveolar oedema in 622 (64%). A CXR score was constructed using the above features. Increasing score was associated with increasing age, urea, NT-proBNP, and decreasing systolic blood pressure, haemoglobin and albumin; and with all-cause mortality on multivariable analysis (hazard ratio 1.10, 95% confidence intervals 1.07-1.13, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Radiographic evidence of congestion on a CXR is very common in patients with AHF and is associated with other clinical measures of worse prognosis. Signs of heart failure are highly prevalent in patients presenting to hospital with acute heart failure and when combined into a chest x-ray score, relate to a worse long term risk of death.

Applications of adaptive focused acoustics to compound management.

Since the introduction of lithotripsy kidney stone therapy, Focused Acoustics and its properties have been thoroughly utilized in medicine and exploration. More recently, Compound Management is exploring its applications and benefits to sample integrity. There are 2 forms of Focused Acoustics: Acoustic Droplet Ejection and Adaptive Focused Acoustics, which work by emitting high-powered acoustic waves through water toward a focused point. This focused power results in noncontact plate-to-plate sample transfer or sample dissolution, respectively. For the purposes of this article, only Adaptive Focused Acoustics will be addressed. Adaptive Focused Acoustics uses high-powered acoustic waves to mix, homogenize, dissolve, and thaw samples. It facilitates transferable samples through noncontact, closed-container, isothermal mixing. Experimental results show significantly reduced mixing times, limited degradation, and ideal use for heat-sensitive compounds. Upon implementation, acoustic dissolution has reduced the number of samples requiring longer mixing times as well as reducing the number impacted by incomplete compound dissolution. It has also helped in increasing the overall sample concentration from 6 to 8 mM to 8 to 10 mM by ensuring complete compound solubilization. The application of Adaptive Focused Acoustics, however, cannot be applied to all Compound Management processes, such as sample thawing and low-volume sample reconstitution. This article will go on to describe the areas where Adaptive Focused Acoustics adds value as well as areas in which it has shown no clear benefit.