For Patients with Reduced Ejection Fraction
We partnered with the American College of Cardiology to develop a decision aid for patients with heart failure that have a reduced ejection fraction making decisions about medications. The decision aids are hosted on CardioSmart, and can also be accessed by clicking the link to the left.
About half of patients with heart failure (HF) have a weak heart. These patients have been shown to live longer and feel better if they take a drug that stops the renin-angiotensin hormone pathway.
Some of these medicines have been around for a long time, work well, and are available as generics with low cost to patients. A newer medicine has been shown to work better than the older medicines in patients with HFrEF, or heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, but it tends to come at a higher cost. Ejection fraction is a measure of how well your heart is pumping.
If you have HFrEF and are trying to decide which medicine to take to stop the renin-angiotensin hormone pathway, use this four-page decision aid to better understand your options. Then decide with your doctor or a member of your care team what treatment is right for you.
Supporting Evidence
Here is a document outlining all evidence for practice decision aids, to help you in your decision.