ABSTRACT

Aim:

Heart failure is defined as the pathophysiological state in which abnormal cardiac function is responsible for failure of the heart to pump blood at a rate commensurate with the requirements of the metabolizing tissues. With this study, we would like to discuss the clinical efficiency of karvedilol, which is one of the third generation beta blockers, in the treatment of this disease which presents itself as an important health problem.

Material and Method:

Suffering from iscemic or non-iscemic heart failure, 37 patients who applied to the first policlinic for internal medicine in our hospital on outpatient or hospital-in patient basis between January-November, 2004 have been included in our study. 73% of these patients are male, 27% are female and their ages vary between 63,9 ± 12,3. All the patients' detailed anamnesis were collected and they were physically examined. Chronic Heart failure has been defined as the dyspnea or fatigue and left ejection fraction lower than 45% at a twomonth rest and at a minimum exercise or exertion despite the proper classic treatment. At the beginning, echocardiography was performed on the patients and then they were started with carvedilol. Calling the patients on the 4th, 8th and 12th weeks, they were physically examined again. A possible adverse effect of the medicine for the symptoms and findings of heart failure was questioned, and the patiens' satisfaction of the medicine was measured. At the end of the 12th week, the patients were performed echocardiography again.

Findings:

At the end of our study, we have observed that carvedilol has positive effects in terms of adaptation, tolerability, clinic recuperation and patients's satisfaction. In addition to this, Carvedilol has made noticable improvements in subjective and objective symptoms of heart failure. While these evaluations support the clinic response, the meaningful increase in ejection fraction according to the echocardiography performed on our patients also shows that these positive results have been reflected in laboratory evaluations.

The result:

Carvedilol protects heart in many ways and reduces the immortality rate in all phases of heart failure. It provides dose based recuperation in Ejection fraction and in hospitilization. As different from other beta blockers, Carvedilol treatment helps reach theraepeutic dose earlier, and even a low dose of Carvedilol inreases immortality.