Heart Failure: Back to Basics for Pharmacists:

Heart failure is a clinical syndrome associated with poor quality of life, frequent hospital admissions, and high mortality rates. Since the number of people with heart failure is continuing to rise, it is important to understand the mechanisms that result in disease progression and the medications used to treat it. Clinical trials involving medications that block the neurohormonal systems involved in the disease have shown significant improvements in both hospitalization and mortality rates. Pharmacists who are not experts in heart failure can contribute to the successful management of these patients by understanding key characteristics and drug therapy goals and by communicating regularly with the heart failure patient.