Introduction: The prescribtion of life-saving drugs in heart failure (HF) patients could vary in different populations depend on gender and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Some trials described different treatment of female and male patients. (1, 2) The aim of this study was to analyse the possible differences in prescribtion of life-saving drugs in patients with HF according to LVEF and gender.

Methods: A group of 705 patients with diagnosis of HF (median age 74, 56.7% males-M, 43.3% females-F) who were hospitalized at University Hospital Centre Split were analysed; the data were part of CRO-HF Registry (3) (established in 2005).

Results: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (LVEF ≥50%) had 40.7% patients (50.8% F, 33% M), and HF with reduced ejection fraction (LVEF <50%) had 59.3% patients. The women and the eldery were frequently in the group with preserved LVEF, and men in the group with reduced LVEF.

Beta-blockers were prescribed in 65.1%, aldosterone antagonists in 47.7% and diuretics in 94.6% patients with LVEF ≥50%. Beta-blockers were prescribed in 67.7%, aldosterone antagonists in 59.6% and diuretics in 95.7% patients with LVEF <50%.

There is no statistically significant difference in the frequency of prescribing beta-blockers and diuretics in HF patients with preserved and those with reduced LVEF (P=0.826, P=0.795). This difference was found in aldosterone antagonists (X (2)=6.389, df=2, P=0.033), which are more frequently prescribed to HF subjects with reduced LVEF.

ACEi or ARB were prescribed in 79.7% HF patients with preserved and in 75.6% HF patients with reduced LVEF. However, there is no statistical significant difference in the prescription of ACEi and ARBs between these two groups (X (2)=1.294, df=2, P=0.524).

There were no significant differences in regards to prescribing ACEi and ARBs in HF patients with preserved LVEF (ACEi: X (2)=0, df=2, P=1; ARBs: X (2)=2,223, df=2, P=0.329) and reduced LVEF (ACEi: X (2)=0.355, df=2, P=0.837; X (2)=0.29, df=2, P=0,867) according to gender.

Conclusion: There is no considerable differences in prescription of life-saving heart HF drugs (ACEi, ARB, beta-blockers) with respect to preserved and reduced LVEF in our patients from Registry. Also, no differences were found regarding to prescription of ACEi and ARBs, in men and women. It will be interesting to analyse the morbidity and mortality of these groups in the period of follow-up.