What should healthcare professionals consider when deciding whether to discontinue certain medications for chronic heart failure patients?
Healthcare professionals should ensure that patients are on appropriate polypharmacy while taking into account that the reduction or removal of particular medications, even in controlled heart failure, has empirically been noted to lead to deterioration of heart function and risk of arrhythmia. The decision to discontinue therapies should therefore be made on an individual patient basis, as part of shared decision with the patient as part of the wider multi- disciplinary team, with full discussion of potential risks and benefits and taking into account patient side-effects and symptoms.