title: Patterns of medication use in patients with heart failure: a report from the Registry of Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD).
abstract: To determine patterns of medication use based on clinical variables in patients with heart failure, we analyzed data from 5,999 patients participating in the Registry of Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD). The Registry comprised a broad spectrum of patients with heart failure, including some with predominantly diastolic dysfunction. Drug use was determined in a population cross-sectional manner at the time of identification (74% hospitalized). The median number of drugs per patient was four, with diuretics taken by 62%, digitalis by 45%, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I) by 32%, calcium channel blockers by 36%, antiarrhythmics by 22%, and beta-blockers by 18%. Only 18% were on the combination of ACE-I, diuretic, and digitalis. Stratification for diagnosis, heart failure symptoms, and ejection fractions demonstrated that triple-drug therapy (digitalis, diuretic, and ACE-I) was common only in those with ejection fractions less than .20 and several signs or symptoms of heart failure. Older patients were taking diuretics frequently (73% of patients older than 70 years of age), and our European center used fewer drugs overall, while prescribing digitalis about half as frequently as North American clinics. These data serve as the baseline for analysis of evolving therapeutic practice in patients with heart failure.
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Weiner
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kostis
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guillote
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004070:Digitalis; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D017723:Drug Utilization Review; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D010947:Plants, Toxic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012042:Registries; D013318:Stroke Volume; D014481:United States; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D004232:Diuretics; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A