Body surface area and medication dosing in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Abstract

Multiple medications are proven to reduce morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but data regarding personalized approaches to optimize medication dosing remain limited. Current treatment guidelines recommend up-titration to target or maximally tolerated doses of these medications, yet use and dosing remain suboptimal in clinical practice. Body surface area (BSA) is a readily available clinical metric, used for dosing many medications, closely associated with blood pressure, renal function, and vascular congestion, and may influence efficacy, safety, and tolerability of HFrEF medications. In this review, we examine the rationale, strengths/weaknesses, and potential utility of BSA as a means of optimizing HFrEF medication use and dosing.

Keywords: Body surface area; Heart failure; Medication dose; Target dose.