Opportunistic screening for heart failure with natriuretic peptides in patients with atrial fibrillation: a meta-analysis of individual participant data of four screening studies.

Objective: Heart failure (HF) often coexists in atrial fibrillation (AF) but is frequently unrecognised due to overlapping symptomatology. Furthermore, AF can cause elevated natriuretic peptide levels, impairing its diagnostic value for HF detection. We aimed to assess the prevalence of previously unknown HF in community-dwelling patients with AF, and to determine the diagnostic value of the amino-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) for HF screening in patients with AF.

Effect of training general practitioners in drug treatment of newly detected heart failure patients with reduced or preserved ejection fraction: A cluster randomized trial.

Objective: To assess the effect of training general practitioners (GPs) in the optimization of drug treatment for newly detected heart failure (HF).

Design: Cluster randomized trial comparing the training programme to care as usual.

Participants: Community-dwelling older persons with a new HF diagnosis after diagnostic work-up.

Extended prediction rule to optimise early detection of heart failure in older persons with non-acute shortness of breath: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: There is a need for a practical tool to aid general practitioners in early detection of heart failure in the elderly with shortness of breath. In this study, such a screening rule was developed based on an existing rule for detecting heart failure in older persons with a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The original rule included a history of ischaemic heart disease, body mass index, laterally displaced apex beat, heart rate, elevated N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide and an abnormal ECG.

Epidemiology of heart failure: the prevalence of heart failure and ventricular dysfunction in older adults over time. A systematic review.

The 'epidemic' of heart failure seems to be changing, but precise prevalence estimates of heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in older adults, based on adequate echocardiographic assessment, are scarce. Systematic reviews including recent studies on the prevalence of heart failure and LVD are lacking. We aimed to assess the trends in the prevalence of LVD, and heart failure with reduced (HFrEF) and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) in the older population at large.

Prevalence of unrecognized heart failure in older persons with shortness of breath on exertion.

Aims: The majority of patients with heart failure are diagnosed in primary care, but underdiagnosis is common. Shortness of breath is a prevalent complaint of older persons and one of the key symptoms of heart failure. We assessed the prevalence of unrecognized heart failure in elderly patients presenting to primary care with shortness of breath on exertion.

Strategy to recognize and initiate treatment of chronic heart failure in primary care (STRETCH): a cluster randomized trial.

Background: Most patients with heart failure are diagnosed and managed in primary care, however, underdiagnosis and undertreatment are common. We assessed whether implementation of a diagnostic-therapeutic strategy improves functionality, health-related quality of life, and uptake of heart failure medication in primary care.

Methods/design: A selective screening study followed by a single-blind cluster randomized trial in primary care.

Smoking cessation strategies in patients with COPD.

Smoking cessation is the cornerstone of treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. This systematic review evaluates the effectiveness of behavioural and pharmacological smoking cessation strategies in COPD patients. MEDLINE was searched from January 2002 to October 2011.