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Updated: May 21, 2026
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Lumped-Parameter and Finite Element Modeling of Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction
Published on: February 13, 2021
Heart failure with a normal ejection fraction: treatments for a complex syndrome?
Samuel Bernard1, Mathew S Maurer
1Clinical Cardiovascular Research Laboratory for the Elderly, Columbia University Medical Center, Allen Hospital of New York Presbyterian Hospital, 5141 Broadway, 3 Field West, Room 037, New York, NY, 10034, USA.
Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine
|June 5, 2012
Summary
Heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF) affects over half of heart failure patients. Future therapies may focus on comorbidities and peripheral mechanisms, not just the heart.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF) constitutes over 50% of heart failure cases.
- Aging populations will increase the prevalence of HFNEF, posing a growing public health challenge.
- HFNEF is characterized by heterogeneous pathophysiologic mechanisms and comorbidities, leading to varied clinical outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the complexity and heterogeneity of HFNEF.
- To emphasize the need for improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
- To explore potential new therapeutic avenues beyond traditional cardiac-focused approaches.
Main Methods:
- Review of current understanding of HFNEF pathophysiology.
- Analysis of limitations in existing clinical trials for HFNEF.
- Discussion of emerging therapeutic targets, including comorbidities and non-pharmacologic interventions.
Main Results:
- Existing treatments have not improved survival in HFNEF.
- Renewed interest in targeting comorbidities and peripheral mechanisms.
- Non-pharmacologic interventions like diet and exercise show early promise.
Conclusions:
- Optimal design for future HFNEF diagnostic and therapeutic strategies requires appreciating its global nature.
- Subgrouping patients is essential for identifying effective targeted interventions.
- Shifting focus from the heart to comorbidities and peripheral mechanisms may yield new therapies, mirroring successes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF).
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