The DANish randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial in patients with chronic HEART failure (DANHEART): A 2 × 2 factorial trial of hydralazine-isosorbide dinitrate in patients with chronic heart failure (H-HeFT) and metformin in patients with chronic heart failure and diabetes or prediabetes (Met-HeFT).

Objectives: The DANHEART trial is a multicenter, randomized (1:1), parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This investigator driven study will include 1500 HFrEF patients and test in a 2 × 2 factorial design: 1) if hydralazine-isosorbide dinitrate reduces the incidence of death and hospitalization with worsening heart failure vs. placebo (H-HeFT) and 2) if metformin reduces the incidence of death, worsening heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke vs.

[Identification of patients admitted acutely on suspicion of cardiac disease].

Overall, the future emergency departments in Denmark serve as a single portal of entry for all acute patients. At the same time an expansion of prehospital diagnosing and triage will take place. In patients suspected of life-threatening cardiac conditions with specialized treatment requirements where the time factor is important, the prehospital triage will be important to identify patients who should be transferred directly to a cardiac care unit to reduce prehospital and in-hospital delays of treatment.

Extended heart failure clinic follow-up in low-risk patients: a randomized clinical trial (NorthStar).

Background: Outpatient follow-up in specialized heart failure clinics (HFCs) is recommended by current guidelines and implemented in most European countries, but the optimal duration of HFC programmes has not been established. Nor is it known whether all or only high-risk patients, e.g.

[Heart package shortens duration of diagnostic period for patients with ischaemic heart disease].

Accelerated diagnostic evaluation of patients referred on suspicion of ischaemic heart disease was introduced at Vejle Hospital in 2007. This article describes the diagnostic algorithm used and the course of the 270 patients who were referred to the clinic. A total of 20% of the patients were found to have no need for further testing at the first examination, 32% were referred to coronary angiography, 33% to coronary CT angiography, 7% to myocardial perfusion imaging and 8% to exercise testing.