Heart Failure—Focus on Kidney Replacement Therapy: Why, When, and How?

Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is a major health problem because of its high prevalence, morbidity, mortality, and cost of care. An important contributor to morbidity and mortality in patients with advanced HF is kidney dysfunction. Almost half of HF patients develop cardiorenal syndrome (CRS). The management of advanced HF complicated by CRS is challenging. Two main strategies have been widely accepted for the management of CRS, namely improving cardiac output and relieving congestion. Diuretics remain the cornerstone and first-line therapy for decongestion; however, a substantial number of CRS patients develop diuretic resistance. In the face of persistent congestion and the progressive deterioration of kidney function, the implementation of kidney replacement therapy may become the only solution. In the review the current evidence on extracorporeal and peritoneal-based kidney replacement techniques for the therapy of CRS patients are presented.