Heart failure is prevalent in a majority of the world, making it a critical condition to be able to treat. A lot of progress over the years has been made with the treatments for chronic heart failure to improve survival rates. Treatments cannot reverse the damage that the heart has already sustained, but it can help treat the symptoms. The different treatments are described below.
Diuretic and Sodium Management:
A lot of patients who have heart failure suffer from congestion, which negatively impacts their condition. Loop diuretics inhibit the sodium-potassium-chloride co-transporter in the loop of Henle, which is the portion of the kidney that is responsible for the reabsorption of sodium and water. However, loop diuretics cause the reabsorption of ions to be reduced, so there is a loss of sodium, chloride, and potassium. Therefore, the volume of urine increases since water is not reabsorbed due to the lower concentration of ions in the loop of Henle. Thus, loop diuretics prevent more fluid from being absorbed in the body, reducing edema in the extremities.
Omecamtiv Mecarbil:
Omecamtiv mecarbil (OM), a cardiac-specific myosin activator, is one type of therapeutic that is used to treat heart failure. This specific drug increases cardiac contractility, which researchers believe is due to the therapeutic altering the structural kinetics of the myosin power stroke. A research study performed by Rohde et al. (2017) revealed that the mode of action of OM alters the coordination between the phosphate release and the power stroke of the myosin. However, this step is important for force generation. Due to this alteration, there will then be an accumulation of actin-bound prepowerstroke cross-bridges, which will create more force, increasing the contractility of the heart.
ACE Inhibitors:
Most patients with heart failure also have hypertension (high blood pressure). Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors widen the vessels, allowing blood to flow through the body more easily, reducing the blood pressure.
Common ACE inhibitors that are prescribed: ramipril, captopril, lisinopril, perindorpil, and enalapril.
Beta Blockers:
Beta blockers reverse the effects of epinephrine, which is the body’s natural adrenaline. Therefore, beta blockers will treat tachycardia in patients and lower their heart rates.
Common beta blockers are bisoprolol and carvedilol.
Disclaimer: This page is not making any treatment recommendations. People should visit their physicians for any evaluation, treatment, and follow-up.
References:
- NHS. (n.d.). Treatment Heart Failure. NHS Choices. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/heart-failure/treatment/
- Rohde, J. A., Thomas, D. D., & Muretta, J. M. (2017). Heart failure drug changes the Mechanoenzymology of the cardiac myosin powerstroke. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(10). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611698114
- Rossignol, P., Hernandez, A. F., Solomon, S. D., & Zannad, F. (2019). Heart failure drug treatment. The Lancet, 393(10175), 1034–1044. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(18)31808-7
