Recommendations on heart failure devices, drugs and diagnosis

The European Society of Cardiology launched new recommendations on devices, drugs and diagnosis in heart failure the during this week’s the Heart Failure Congress 2012. Among the recommendations, based on the latest research, were that left ventricular assist devices can be used as temporary support for heart failure and also for treatment. Also, cardiac resynchronisation therapy is more beneficial to patients with left bundle branch block QRS morphology and sinus rhythm and the newly discovered transcatheter valve interventions can be used for treating aortic stenosis during surgery. New pharmacological treatments were also presented. Beta blocker should be maximized as initial treatment, and treatment should include an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, a beta blocker and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist. A newly discovered biomarker for predicting heart failure, mid-regional pro-A-type natriuretic peptide, was also presented.