Underlying causes and survival in patients with heart failure

Article Abstract:

Identifying the cause of cardiomyopathy may allow doctors to estimate a patient's prognosis. Cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle and it has many different causes. The most common causes are hypertension and coronary artery disease. However, it can also occur during or after pregnancy, in HIV patients, and in people exposed to certain drugs. A study published in 2000 found that the prognosis of cardiomyopathy depended on the underlying cause of the disease. Women who developed the disease during pregnancy had the best prognosis compared to other groups.

Editorial, Prognosis, Cardiomyopathy, Myocardial diseases

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Intravenous nesiritide, a natriuretic peptide, in the treatment of decompensated congestive heart failure

Article Abstract:

Patients hospitalized with worsening symptoms of congestive heart failure may benefit from the drug nesiritide. Sold under the trade name Natrecor, this drug mimics the action of a natural protein in the body brain natriuretic peptide. Researchers randomly assigned 127 patients hospitalized with worsening symptoms of congestive heart failure to take intravenous nesiritide or a placebo for up to seven days. Over 60% of those who received nesiritide experienced an improvement in symptoms compared to 14% of those receiving a placebo.

Congestive heart failure agents

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Nesiritide: Not verified

Article Abstract:

Thousands of patients in the US receive nesiritide treatment once or more per week, over a period of several months, which costs around $500 per dose. However, this application of nesitiride is designated for treatment of acute, decompensated congestive heart failure by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001 and it has safety problems and no proven clinical advantage over the existing treatments.

Commodity & service prices, New England States, Prices and rates, New England, Company pricing policy

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