Endothelial dysfunction has been recognized as a pathophysiologic mechanism in the progression of heart failure (HF). However, little attention has been given to the ability of dietary approaches to improve endothelial function. This study examined the effects of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet on endothelial function, exercise capacity, and quality of life in patients w...

Although Minnesota is known as a heart-healthy state, heart disease and stroke are still among the leading causes of death for people living here, especially those in certain racial and ethnic groups. To address this concern and reduce the overall incidence of heart disease and stroke, the Minnesota Department of Health's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Unit led an effortto create the Heart...

BACKGROUND Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a serious condition that is associated with impaired health status and a high prevalence of depressive symptoms. To date, little is known about the determinants of health status and depressive symptoms in CHF. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess whether Type D personality is associated with impaired health status and increased depressive symp...

BACKGROUND Whether mechanical dyssynchrony indices predict reverse remodeling (RR) or clinical response to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) remains controversial. This prospective study evaluated whether echocardiographic dyssynchrony indices predict RR or clinical response after CRT. METHODS AND RESULTS Of 184 patients with heart failure with anticipated CRT who were prospectively enr...

Background—Heart failure patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) or an ICD for resynchronization therapy often visit the hospital for unscheduled examinations, placing a great burden on healthcare providers. We hypothesized that Internet-based remote interrogation systems could reduce emergency healthcare visits. Methods and Results—This multicenter randomized trial involvi...

Patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) experience progressive deterioration of functional capacity and quality of life (QoL). This prospective, randomized, controlled trial assesses the effect of exercise training (ET) protocol on functional capacity, rehospitalization, and QoL in CHF patients older than 70 years compared with a control group. A total of 343 elderly patients with stable CHF ...

BACKGROUND The Education Thérapeutique des patients Insuffisants Cardiaques (ETIC; Therapeutic Education for Patients with Cardiac Failure) trial aimed to determine whether a pragmatic education intervention in general practice could improve the quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) compared with routine care. RESULTS This cluster randomised controlled clinical trial in...

Abstract Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) often coexist syner-gistically contribute to an increased risk of hospitalization, stroke, mortality. Objective: To compare the efficacy catheter ablation (CA) versus medical therapy (MT) in HF patients with AF. Methods Electronic databases were queried for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) CA MT AF HF. Risk ratios (RRs), mea...

OBJECTIVE To support decision making on how to best redesign chronic care by studying the heterogeneity in effectiveness across chronic care management evaluations for heart failure. DATA SOURCES Reviews and primary studies that evaluated chronic care management interventions. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review including meta-regression analyses to investigate three potential sources of heter...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of high intensity, interval exercise on quality of life (QoL) and depression status, in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients. METHODS A randomized controlled trial (phase III). Of the 100 consecutive CHF patients (NYHA classes II-IV, ejection fraction ≤ 50%) that were randomly allocated to exercise intervention (n = 50, high-intensit...