Tag Archives: Patiromer

Hyperkalaemia in heart failure HK is a potentially life-threatening electrolyte abnormality. There is no universal definition of HK; however, a serum level greater than 5.0–5.5 mmol/L is generally regarded as abnormal.4 The Swedish heart failure registry showed an increased mortality associated with abnormal serum potassium.5 Hypokalaemia is associated with increased long-term mortality, as opposed to HK’s association with increased short-term mortality.5 The incidence of HK in heart failure remains highly variable.4,6,7 In PARADIGM-HF, enalapril was compared with the combination drug sacubitril/valsartan. The latter had a hazard ratio of

Hyperkalaemia in heart failure HK is a potentially life-threatening electrolyte abnormality. There is no universal definition of HK; however, a serum level greater than 5.0–5.5 mmol/L is generally regarded as abnormal.4 The Swedish heart failure registry showed an increased mortality associated with abnormal serum potassium.5 Hypokalaemia is associated with increased long-term mortality, as opposed to HK’s association with increased short-term mortality.5 The incidence of HK in heart failure remains highly variable.4,6,7 In PARADIGM-HF, enalapril was compared with the combination drug sacubitril/valsartan. The latter had a hazard ratio o

Tafamidis – a new treatment for amyloidosis The European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorisation for tafamidis (Vyndaqel®, Pfizer), a once-daily 61 mg oral capsule, for the treatment of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis in adult patients with cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). Tafamidis is the first authorised treatment in the European Union for patients with ATTR-CM. Prior to this authorisation, treatment options for patients with ATTR-CM were restricted to symptom management, and, in rare cases, heart (or heart and liver) transplant. ATTR-CM is a rare, under-diagnosed and life-threatening disease characterised by the b

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

A new gene therapy that targets the heart and requires only one treatment session, has been found safe for patients with coronary artery disease, according to a successful trial carried out in Finland (doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx352). The treatment enhances circulation in ischaemic heart muscle and the effects were still visible one year after treatment. The randomised, blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1/2a trial was carried out in collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio University Hospital and Turku PET Centre. The biological bypass is based on gene transfer in which a natural human growth factor, AdVEGF-DΔNΔC, a ne