title: Polypharmacy of heart failure. Creating a rational pharmacotherapeutic protocol.
abstract: In the management of chronic heart failure, polypharmacy is common, necessary, and often overlooked. The increasing costs of care, noncompliance, and frequent adverse drug interactions have led to diminishing benefits by simply adding additional drugs to the already complex regimen. This review outlines a rational pharmacotherapeutic protocol based on establishing overall therapeutic goals and confirming treatment targets, tailoring therapy to individual patients by balancing beneficial and adverse drug effects, and paying particular attention to patient education and other nonpharmacologic support.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Francis
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015897:Comorbidity; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D019338:Polypharmacy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D004232:Diuretics