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Fact or Fancy

Louis Lemberg, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1978;138(3):451-452.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

Digitalis has always been the cornerstone of therapy for congestive heart failure. Although the benefits of other therapeutic measures are important, nevertheless, the primary aim in the treatment of congestive heart failure was to improve myocardial contractility using a digitalis glycoside.

However, in recent years the management of congestive heart failure has taken a new and sophisticated direction. Therapeutic measures that reduce the work of the heart currently receive more attention than do drugs that improve myocardial contractility. Newer attitudes in management are evolving as a consequence of the successful results from treatment that influence the work load of the heart. Specifically, the focus is on vasodilating or unloading agents that reduce the work of the heart by decreasing cardiac preload and afterload.^1-21 Selective vasodilation has proved to be the decisive factor in reversing severe congestive heart failure refractory to all other therapy. The emergence of the unloading agents . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication July 6, 1977.

Reprint requests to Division of Cardiology, U/Miami School of Medicine, PO Box 520875, Miami, FL 33152 (Dr Lemberg).

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