Relationship Between Soluble Transferrin Receptor and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure According to Ejection Fraction Phenotype: The New Zealand PEOPLE Study.

Background: Iron deficiency (ID) is highly prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF) but its impact on prognosis in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains unclear. We assessed whether ID defined by soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR) criteria is independently associated with all-cause mortality in patients with HFpEF, and evaluated its comparative prognostic performance to ID definitions in common clinical use.

Methods And Results: Data were analyzed from 788 patients (36% HFpEF) in a prospective multicenter HF cohort study.

Impact of change in iron status over time on clinical outcomes in heart failure according to ejection fraction phenotype.

Aims: The importance of iron deficiency (ID) in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is unknown. In HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), ID is reported as an independent predictor of mortality in HF although not all published studies agree. Different definitions of ID have been assessed, and the natural history of untreated ID not established, which may explain the conflicting results.

Role of transthoracic echocardiogram in acute heart failure.

Acute Heart Failure (AHF) is an increasingly common condition with a poor prognosis. In contrast to CHF where advances in medical therapy and devices has led to significant improvement in morbidity and mortality, the prognosis for AHF has not changed significantly in the last few decades despite efforts to find effective treatment. There are multiple factors that contribute to the high mortality and morbidity of AHF; it can be a diagnostic challenge, determining whether decongestion has been achieved can be difficult, and persisting congestion is commonly present at discharge contributing to early decompensation and rehospitalisation.

High-sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Is Not Associated With Acute Cellular Rejection After Heart Transplantation.

Background: Acute cellular rejection (ACR) is common in the first year after cardiac transplantation, and regular surveillance endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is required. An inexpensive, simple noninvasive diagnostic test would be useful. Prior studies suggest cardiac troponin (cTn) has potential as a "rule-out" test to minimize the use of EMB.

Digital devices for teaching cardiac auscultation - a randomized pilot study.

Background: Competent cardiac auscultation is a declining skill. Digital stethoscopes and hand-held echocardiography (HHE) are modern devices which may improve the accuracy of heart murmur recognition and diagnosis. Their incremental value compared to conventional examination has not been evaluated in depth.

Utility of troponin assays for exclusion of acute cellular rejection after heart transplantation: A systematic review.

Background: Acute cellular rejection (ACR) is a common complication in the first year after heart transplantation (HT). Routine surveillance for ACR is undertaken by endomyocardial biopsy (EMB). Measurement of cardiac troponins (cTn) in serum is an established diagnostic test of cardiac myocyte injury.

Iron deficiency in patients with heart failure.

Iron deficiency (ID) is a commonly present co-morbidity in patients with heart failure (HF). In iron deficient but otherwise healthy individuals, correction of ID restores exercise capacity and endurance regardless of the presence of anaemia. Recently, iron replacement in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction has been shown to improve symptoms and exercise capacity.