Tag Archives: EMPHASIS-HF

Presenters included cardiologists, Professors Michael Boehm (University of the Saarland, Homburg, Saarland, Germany) and Stefan Anker (University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany) and nephrologist, Matthew Weir (University of Maryland Medical Centre, Baltimore, Maryland, USA). Their presentations are summarised below. The addition of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs) to angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition or receptor blockade (ARB) has been shown in randomised-controlled trials to improve morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure.1,2 In the EMPHASIS-HF study, the addition of eplerenone in pat

Neurohormonal blockade A cardiac resynchronisation therapy pacemaker (CRT-P), provides cardiac resynchronisation therapy and diagnostics to assist in patient management The meeting set off to a stimulating start with Professor Theresa McDonagh (Kings College Hospital, Chair of the British Society of Heart Failure) reviewing primarily the growing evidence for aldosterone antagonists in the management of systolic heart failure (HF). Large clinical trials have established the role of aldosterone antagonists, such as spironolactone, in severe systolic HF (Randomised Aldactone Evaluation Study – RALES) and eplerenone in acute myocardial infarcti

According to Pfizer, an interim analysis of the trial showed that patients treated with eplerenone in addition to current standard of care experienced a significant reduction in risk of cardiovascular death or heart failure hospitalisation compared with those in the placebo arm of the trial.  The company says it is now working to ensure that all patients are informed of this decision, and an amendment to the protocol will be requested to allow all consenting patients to start treatment with eplerenone in an open-label extension of the study, after completing a close-out visit ending the double-blind, placebo-controlled phase.  Eplerenone is