Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Sep;8(9):725-738.
doi: 10.1016/j.jchf.2020.04.019. Epub 2020 Aug 12.

Care Gaps in Adherence to Heart Failure Guidelines: Clinical Inertia or Physiological Limitations?

Affiliations
Free article

Care Gaps in Adherence to Heart Failure Guidelines: Clinical Inertia or Physiological Limitations?

Marilyne Jarjour et al. JACC Heart Fail. 2020 Sep.
Free article

Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of clinical and physiological factors limiting treatment optimization toward recommended medical therapy in heart failure (HF).

Background: Although guidelines aim to assist physicians in prescribing evidence-based therapies and to improve outcomes of patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), gaps in clinical care persist.

Methods: Medical records of all patients with HFrEF followed for at least 6 months at the authors' HF clinic (n = 511) allowed for drug optimization and were reviewed regarding the prescription rates of recommended pharmacological agents and devices (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator [ICD] or cardiac resynchronization therapy [CRT]). Then, an algorithm integrating clinical (New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class, heart rate, blood pressure and biologic parameters (creatinine, serum potassium) based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria of landmark trials guiding these recommendations) was applied for each agent and device to identify potential explanations for treatment gaps.

Results: Gross prescription rates were high for beta-blockers (98.6%), mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) (93.4%), vasodilators (90.3%), ICDs (75.1%), and CRT (82.1%) among those eligible, except for ivabradine (46.3%, n = 41). However, achievement of target physiological doses was lower (beta-blockers, 67.5%; MRA, 58.9%; and vasodilators, 63.4%), and one-fifth of patient dosages were still being up-titrated. Suboptimal doses were associated with older age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.221; p < 0.0001) and history of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) (no vs. yes, OR: 0.264; p = 0.0336).

Conclusions: Gaps in adherence to guidelines exist in specialized HF setting and are mostly explained by limiting physiological factors rather than inertia. Older age and history of stroke/TIA, potential markers of frailty, are associated with suboptimal doses of guideline-directed medical therapy, suggesting that an individualized rather than a "one-size-fits-all" approach may be required.

Keywords: adherence; guidelines; heart failure; inertia; pharmacological therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

Publication types

Substances