Should A Long-Acting Nitrate And Hydralazine Be Routinely Used To Treat African-Americans With Heart Failure?

— -- Question: Should the combination of a long-acting nitrate and hydralazine be routinely used to treat African-Americans with heart failure?

Answer: Yes, I do believe that the combination of a long-acting nitrate and hydralazine should be tried in most African-Americans with moderate to severe heart failure, the group that was studied in the African-American Heart Failure trial. The combination is not always well-tolerated -- there's a fairly high incidence of headaches and lightheadedness with these two drugs that dilate blood vessels. However, because of the very substantial benefits in hospitalizations, survival and quality of life, it certainly should be tried in those patients.