Dietary Supplements and Heart Health

Dietary supplements – which include herbal medications, vitamins, minerals, amino acid supplements, and dietary substances – have become a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States. Today, approximately one-half of American adults reports using some form of dietary supplements. The purpose of this blog will be to briefly review evidence for common dietary supplements touted for heart health and to provide evidence-based resources for practitioners and patients to utilize.

No Love Lost for Intravenous Labetalol Infusions: Risks of Prolonged Use

Labetalol is a beta blocker with potent antihypertensive effects, and it may be administered orally or intravenously. The latter feature makes it especially useful for the acute management of elevated blood pressure but prolonged infusions can result in hemodynamic collapse. In this entry, two cases are discussed and recommendations are made for the appropriate management of continuous labetalol infusions.

Are Dipeptidyl Peptidase (DPP)-4 Inhibitors Safe in Patients with Heart Failure?

Significant focus has been placed on the cardiovascular effects of various treatment options for type 2 diabetes. One topic of concern is the risk of heart failure (HF) associated with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitors. This piece reviews the literature on DDP-4 inhibitor therapy and the risk of HF and HF hospitalization. Suggestions on how to apply the literature to practice are also provided.