[Pharmacological therapy of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction]

Pharmacological therapy of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction Abstract. Pharmacological therapy for heart failure has made great progress over the last three decades and evidence-based therapies have significantly improved survival and quality of life. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers and beta-blockers are the cornerstone of the heart failure therapy; indicated in virtually every patient with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction. As soon as the left ventricular ejection fraction decreases below 35 % and / or symptoms are still present (NYHA II-IV), a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist should be added. A rather recent addition to current heart failure therapy with convincing data is the substance combination sacubitril / valsartan. It is indicated for patients with persistent symptomatic heart failure despite optimal medical therapy with ACE inhibitors or ARBs, beta-blockers, and MRAs. Crucial for all mentioned substances is to aim for the maximal tolerated dose. Various additional therapies have no proven survival benefit but are important for symptom control in everyday life. Above all the diuretics, where loop diuretics show a better effect profile compared to thiazide diuretics. Furthermore, achieving an optimal iron status (the limit to start a substitution is significantly higher than in patients without heart failure), decreasing the heart frequency with Ivabradine (if heart rate persists above 70 / min despite fully dosed betablocker) and «lifestyle changes» can add to the success of the medical treatment. The importance of digoxin has been steadily decreasing. The previously advocated therapeutic anticoagulation in patients with severely reduced LVEF is not propagated anymore. Significant arrhythmias (especially atrial fibrillation and ventricular arrhythmias) are common in advanced diseases. In addition to beta-blockers, amiodarone is clearly the antiarrhythmic drug of choice. According to latest data, an early interventional treatment of atrial fibrillation by pulmonary vein ablation may be beneficial and has the potential to reduce mortality in special subgroups of patients. New developments in the field of antidiabetic drugs seem to be promising for reduction of mortality and hospitalization in patients with heart failure.