35. Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction with Dr. Kavita Sharma

This podcast explores the complexities of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), addressing its diagnosis, management, and the challenges in clinical trials. Dr. Kavita Sharma, Interim Director of the Advanced Heart Failure Transplant Section at Johns Hopkins Hospital, highlights the difficulties in defining HFpEF due to its heterogeneity, noting the increasing prevalence in morbidly obese patients, which complicates diagnostic markers like natriuretic peptides. The discussion emphasizes the importance of hemodynamic testing, particularly exercise right heart catheterization, for accurate diagnosis in comorbid patients. Management strategies, including the use of diuretics and spironolactone, are reviewed, along with the potential benefits of exercise and diet. The podcast further examines the role of invasive monitoring with devices like CardioMEMS and touches on advanced therapies such as heart transplantation, while also shedding light on sex differences in underlying mechanisms in HFpEF.