Heart Failure Society of America Annual Meeting

Lisa Rathman, MSN, of Lancaster General Hospital, discusses the benefits of subcutaneous furosemide in nursing homes and facilities outside the hospital.

Gregg Fonarow, MD; David Aguilar, MD; Rob Mentz, MD; and James Januzzi, MD, discuss the unexpected and exciting use of SGLT-2 inhibitors to treat heart failure.

Rob Mentz, MD, of Duke University Medical School, discusses the CANVAS trial and the pursuit of using SGLT-2 inhibitors to treat heart failure.

Gregg Fonarow, MD, of UCLA, discusses the vital importance of preventing HF in ways outside of just the available treatment options.

Mandeep Mehra, MD, President of the HFSA, discusses one of the HFSA annual meeting's themes: the prophylaxis of heart failure through behavioral and dietary adjustments.

Rob Mentz, MD; David Aguilar, MD; Mandeep Mehra, MD; and Lisa Rathman, MSN, discussed the use of team-based care in heart failure, a condition plagued by comorbidities and often treated by multiple specialists.

David Aguilar, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine, discusses the new responsibilities faced by cardiologists with the emerging onset of dual-indication medicines.

Gregg Fonarow, MD, of UCLA, spoke about the benefits of short-term treatment for keeping HF patients out of hospital, and using hospitalization as a time to learn.

Mandeep Mehra, MD, President of the HFSA, discusses the importance of team-based care between physicians, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners in treating heart failure.

Bertram Pitt, MD, of the University of Michigan School of Medicine, discusses the benefits of subcutaneous furosemide keeping patients from "bouncing back" into the hospital.

Amil Shah, MD, of Harvard Medical School, discusses the utilization of echocardiography - often the first step for the indication of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction - to diagnose patients with the condition and separate them from other morbidities.

James Udelson, MD, the chief of cardiology at Tufts Medical Center, discusses the possibilities offered by the development of subcutaneous furosemide for HF patients in need of diuresis.

Patient selection, proper up-titration, and insurance barriers must be considered by cardiologists and other physicians seeking to treat patients with the new combo medication.

Lack of guidelines and recommendations on use, ill-defined value of care, patient preference, and physicians’ lack of awareness are among the factors that can prevent widespread adoption of new medications.

Recent trials involving promising medications to treat patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction have not produced significant reductions in mortality.

Research results presented at HFSA 2016 support switching from conventional treatment approaches to the new combination treatment.

A presentation at the 2016 Heart Failure Society of America Scientific Meeting provided details on serelaxin, ularitide, and other new therapies for heart failure.

Pieter Muntendam, MD, scPharmaceuticals, and colleagues hoped their productive can help reduce patients' length of stay in the hospital.

At the Heart Failure Society of America's 20th Annual Scientific Meeting, Pieter Muntendam, MD, scPharmaceuticals, discussed his work in developing a hospital strength treatment option for patients with fluid overload using the well known drug furosemide, now for subcutaneous administration.

According to Joseph Rogers, MD, Duke University, the HFSA has grown positively over the years to become a platform showcasing high level science, as evidenced through the late breakers that were presented.

Joseph Rogers, MD, Duke University discusses palliative care and how it fits into the overall treatment regimen of very sick patient populations.

Researchers reported black patients enrolled in the PARADIGM-HF study had more favorable prognostic baseline characteristics than white patients in the study. However, black patients exhibited a higher risk for cardiovascular death and hospitalizations.

Subcutaneously administered furosemide yields nearly identical outcomes compared with the traditional intravenous method of delivery, but is more convenient and well tolerated.

While there's no yet proven treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, the team is really aiming to understand the pathophysiology to design better targeted treatments.

Study results presented at the 2016 Heart Failure Society of America Scientific Meeting show that treatment with omecantiv mecarbil improved cardiac function and quality of life in patients with heart failure.

"Heart failure is a disease that happens because of other diseases, so it's kind of the end result of diabetes, heart attacks, and cancer therapies, so it's hard to be a heart failure doctor and not spend a lot of time thinking about all the other medical specialties," concluded Allen.

With many new drug discoveries and medical devices int he field of advanced heart failure, Larry Allen, MD, MHS and his team are working to create patient decision support tools to help them navigate any challenges.

The majority of studies point to a common trend: patients who are nonadherent to medications and diet recommendations are much more likely to be readmitted.

As the medical home model gains ground, are cardiologists and other specialists being left out in the cold?

HFSA's updated guidelines focus on topics such as dietary instruction, activity and lifestyle issues, and health maintenance.