The document also strengthens advice regarding which medications should be started in all patients
Thomas M. Maddox, MD, MSc, Professor of Medicine in the Cardiovascular Division at WashU Medicine, and colleagues recently published an Expert Consensus Decision Pathway (ECDP) for the many decisions required in the management and treatment of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The document was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“This decision pathway, updated with the latest evidence for HFrEF management, is an essential contribution to every clinician’s toolbox,” says Maddox. “It contains clear and simple HFrEF management pathways and practical advice in managing these complex patients.”
Thomas Maddox, MD
Specifically, the ECDP provides updated guidance on 10 pivotal issues in HFrEF, including how to initiate, add or switch therapies with consideration of newer evidence-based guideline-directed treatments for HFrEF. It also addresses how to achieve optimal therapy given multiple drugs for HF, including augmented clinical assessment that may trigger modifications in guideline-directed therapy. Additionally, the ECDP provides guidance for managing the increasing complexity of heart failure, as well as common comorbidities.