[Clinical aspects of differential drug therapy of chronic heart failure]

Abstract

Treatment of chronic heart failure with ACE-inhibitors has greatly improved the prognosis. In addition to ACE-inhibitors, diuretics seem to be necessary to decrease mortality, whereas the importance of cardiac glycosides has not been demonstrated unequivocally. Nevertheless, modern treatment of chronic heart failure in all stages should be a combination of diuretics, digitalis, and ACE-inhibitors rather than a stepwise addition of drugs depending on the severity of the disease. An increased heart rate leads to increased myocardial O2-consumption, decreased O2-supply, ischemia, and reduced contractility. Betablocker-induced reduction of heart rate does, however, not necessarily improve symptoms or hemodynamic conditions. The optimal heart rate in large failing hearts is not known yet. Probably, it is dependent on the type and severity of myocardial disease or impairment. In this respect, the sarcoplasmatic release and uptake of Ca2+ plays the most important role in the disordered force-frequency-relation in chronic heart failure.