Therapeutic approaches and the role of calcium-sensitizing agents in end-stage congestive heart failure

Advanced heart failure is now one of the major causes of death worldwide, with a reputation for impairment, morbidity, and suffering before the terminal event. Most patients with ventricular dysfunction and heart failure eventually move into more advanced stages of the condition despite the best efforts of physicians and optimal use of available drugs. The development of calcium-sensitizing agents represents a recent pharmaceutical initiative to enlarge the therapeutic armamentarium for patients whose condition and symptoms are not adequately controlled by existing means. The potential role of this drug group in the treatment of advanced heart failure is discussed.