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.

Outcome in high risk patients with unprotected left main coronary artery stenosis treated with percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objective: We examined mortality, risk of myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR) in high-risk patients with unprotected left main (LM) percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Western Denmark.

Background: PCI of left main coronary artery lesions may be an alternative to coronary artery bypass grafting in high-risk surgical patients.

Methods: From January 2005 to May 2007, all patients who had unprotected LM PCI with stent implantation were identified in the Western Denmark Heart Registry.

Are there long-term benefits in following stable heart failure patients in a heart failure clinic?

Objectives And Design: This study describes the long-term outcome of 163 patients with stable mild to moderate heart failure (NYHA II-III), who already were enrolled in a heart failure clinic and now were randomized to continued follow-up in the heart failure (HF) clinic or else to usual care (UC). The primary outcome was unplanned hospitalisations and death, the secondary endpoints were pharmacological therapy, NYHA class, six-minute-walking distances and NT-pro BNP level.

Results: At the end of follow-up we found no significant differences in total number of hospitalisation (p = 0.

Tei index and neurohormonal activation in patients with incident heart failure: serial changes and prognostic value.

Background: Natriuretic peptides and Tei index are useful indices for risk stratification in advanced left ventricular dysfunction (LVD). Their role in early stages is less clear.

Aims: In relation to first diagnosis of LVD to assess the relation of plasma B-type-natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with Tei index, assess serial changes in indices, and to assess the value of indices to predict functional status.

Neurohormonal activation and diagnostic value of cardiac peptides in patients with suspected mild heart failure.

Background: Data describing activation of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) system relative to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) are sparse in the early phase of heart failure (HF).

Aims: To compare activation of BNP system relative to RAAS hyperactivity and to assess diagnostic accuracy of cardiac peptides to detect any left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) in patients referred from primary care with suspected HF before institution of medical therapy.

Methods: Of 166 referred patients 150 were consecutively included (14 were excluded and two refused consent).