An expert in the management of heart failure discusses the standard of care for patients with reduced ejection fraction.
John McMurray, MBChB: In patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, we have what some people have recently been calling the 5 alive: the 5 pharmacological approaches that improve survival. These can be given in 4 pills. First is a renal angiotensin system blocker. Today we would couple that with a neprilysin inhibitor, and those 2 treatments can be prescribed in 1 pill: sacubitril-valsartan. Next is a beta-blocker with a mineral corticoid receptor antagonist or aldosterone antagonist. Most recently, the fifth of those pharmacological approaches is an SGLT2 inhibitor. In addition, we have other drugs that improve symptoms and reduce the risk of heart failure hospitalization, but they don’t reduce mortality. Good examples of that would be ivabradine, digoxin, and most recently, a treatment called vericiguat. We may see also new ideas about intravenous iron very shortly, so that may also be added to that list. We also have devices that we use selectively in certain patients that improve survival, and these are implantable cardioverter variation defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy. We’ve got a wealth of life-saving treatments, and a wealth of treatments that improve symptoms and reduce hospital admission.
Racial, Ethnic Disparities May Impact Age Differences at First Heart Failure Hospitalization
September 4th 2025Social determinants of health were associated with a younger age of first hospitalization for heart failure in Black and Hispanic patients when compared with Asian and White patients.
Read More
What It Takes to Improve Guideline-Based Heart Failure Care With Ty J. Gluckman, MD
August 5th 2025Explore innovative strategies to enhance heart failure treatment through guideline-directed medical therapy, remote monitoring, and artificial intelligence–driven solutions for better patient outcomes.
Listen
Patients With HFpEF May Benefit From Accelerated Cardiac Pacing
August 28th 2025In an observational extension of the myPACE clinical trial, researchers found that a personalized accelerated pacing in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and a preexisting physiological pacer saw a slower trend in adverse cardiac events and overall improved health status.
Read More
The Importance of Examining and Preventing Atrial Fibrillation
August 29th 2023At this year’s American Society for Preventive Cardiology Congress on CVD Prevention, Emelia J. Benjamin, MD, ScM, delivered the Honorary Fellow Award Lecture, “The Imperative to Focus on the Prevention of Atrial Fibrillation,” as the recipient of this year’s Honorary Fellow of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology award.
Listen
Finerenone Demonstrates Safety and Efficacy in Heart Failure When Combined With Diuretics
August 13th 2025Clinical trial results establish the safety and efficacy of finerenone to help preserve potassium levels and reduce sodium in patients on diuretics with heart failure and mildly reduced ejection fraction or preserved ejection fraction.
Read More
Genetics, Comorbidities Associated With Cardiomyopathy and Atrial Fibrillation
August 13th 2025The cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) can be associated with the presence of the TTN gene combined with preexisting comorbidities like atrial fibrillation, which increase the odds of developing DCM.
Read More