TITLE:
Renal effects of vasodilators in acute heart failure
AUTHORS:
Mattia A. E. Valente, Adriaan A. Voors
KEYWORDS:
Heart Failure; Vasodilators; Cardiorenal Syndrome; Renal Function
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases,
Vol.3 No.2A,
April
30,
2013
ABSTRACT: Vasodilator therapy is common in acute heart failure
(AHF) patients, although evidence for morbidity and mortality benefits is limited
for many of these drugs. AHF is frequently accompanied by renal dysfunction,
which is a strong, independent predictor for poor prognosis. Several
hemodynamic and neurohormonal effects of vasodilators—including preload and afterload reduction, activation or inhibition of neurohormonal and inflammatory
cascades—have the potential to modulate cardiorenal interaction and impact
renal function. However, the effect of vasodilators on renal function in acute
heart failure is often poorly described. In this review, we provide an overview
of the known cardiorenal effects of traditional and novel vasodilators in
patients with acute heart failure.