Cardio-abdominal-renal interactions in congestive heart failure. (R-4853)

Cardio-Abdominal-Renal Interactions in Congestive Heart Failure Congestive heart failure (CHF) is emerging worldwide in epidemical proportions. Despite successful advances in therapy, patients remain to be hospitalized frequently because of symptoms of congestion. Renal dysfunction often complicates decongestive treatment, which is associated with worse outcome, longer hospital stays and higher costs. However, cardio-renal interactions in CHF remain insufficiently elucidated. Historically, poor forward flow i.e., low cardiac output resulting in unrestrained neurohumoral upregulation, has been considered the main culprit mechanism. Growing evidence has emphasized the concurrent importance of backward failure i.e., systemic congestion in pathophysiology and disease progression. Recent evidence suggests that splanchnic congestion with maladaptive derangements in the abdominal compartment might play an important role affecting cardio-renal efficiency in CHF. However, as impaired cardiac output, neurohumoral upregulation and systemic congestion occur concomitantly in CHF, their individual pathophysiological contribution and relation with the abdominal compartment remains unsatisfactorily explained. Therefore, the first aim of this project is to develop a rat model of splanchnic congestion. Subsequently, effects on hemodynamics, neurohumoral homeostasis, and renal, cardiac and abdominal organ function are assessed. Finally, effects of abdominal congestion in rats with pre-existing cardiac or renal dysfunction are investigated.

Keywords:congestive heart failure

Disciplines:Basic sciences, Clinical sciences, Translational sciences, Psychology and cognitive sciences