April 15, 2009 - The American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA), in collaboration with the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, have joined efforts to produce updated heart failure guidelines that focus on key research findings and clinical advances.
Ultrafiltration, included in the new document's key updates, is now a Class IIa recommendation and a Level of Evidence of B.
The new recommendation states, “Ultrafiltration is reasonable for patients with refractory congestion not responding to medical therapy” and in the defined classification scheme, translates to “recommendation in favor of treatment or procedure being useful/effective.”
Aquapheresis, CHF Solutions’ simplified and unique form of ultrafiltration, is now ranked higher in the Level of Evidence than the standard and common secondary treatments, such as salt restriction, strict I/Os, higher doses of loop diuretics, addition of a second diuretic, continuous infusion of a loop diuretic, vasodilators, and IV inotropes.
Aquapheresis therapy is designed to safely and effectively remove the excess salt and water in patients with fluid overload. Currently, Aquapheresis is available in over 200 medical centers and outpatient clinics worldwide.
For more information: http://content.onlinejacc.org/cgi/content/full/j.jacc.2008.11.009v1, www.chfsolutions.com