[Role of heart rate in mechanisms of compensation and decompensation in CHF patients with sinus rhythm and atrial fibrillation and methods for safe and efficient control of heart rhythm. Part 2. Atrial fibrillation].

This review focuses on the role of heart rate in patients with a combination of heart failure and atrial fibrillation and on methods for heart rate control in such patients.

[Characteristics and treatment of hospitalized patients with CHF].

The article analyzes some characteristics of hospitalized patients with decompensated chronic heart failure (HF) according to data from Russian and international registries, management of decompensated HF, and tactics for titration of evidence-based disease-modified therapies. The demographic characteristics of the patients from the registers that were used for the research are similar. Yet, the proportion of HF patients with preserved LVEF was greater according to data from several Russian studies. Meanwhile, with the patients that did not receive any loop diuretics and therefore had apparently no congestion signs being excluded from the analysis, the proportion of HF patients with preserved LVEF became similar to that from the international studies. The registers also showed that pulmonary edema and acute left ventricular failure were observed in less than a half of the cases. Nevertheless, patients with mild congestion symptoms still have bad lingering prognosis and require the same amount of medical attention. Up to 40 % of admissions for decompensated CHF resulted from a dietary disorder (excessive sodium consumption), low compliance with therapy and lack of access to primary care providers. Furthermore, the analysis of the outpatient treatment administered prior to the forthcoming hospitalization showed a low prescription rate of evidence-based disease-modifying therapies (ACEi or ARNi, BB, MRA). It is emphasized that in part of patients the administration and/or titration of this therapy can be started during hospitalization. The article also discusses the use of a new class of drugs, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNi), including not only transferring patients from ACEi to ARNi but also the possibility of administering ARNi to stable, hospitalized patients who do not require intravenous diuretics and inotropic drugs.