Renal Artery Stenosis and Congestive Heart Failure: What Do We Really Know?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditure. Although the role of renal artery stenosis (RAS) in CHF has been known, there are a number of areas of uncertainty.

RECENT FINDINGS: The prevalence of RAS in subjects with CHF varies from 15 to 54% depending on the cohort studied and the diagnostic modality used to identify RAS. In subjects with CHF, the presence of RAS is associated with worse renal function and a higher risk for mortality during long-term follow-up. There are many unanswered questions regarding the role of RAS in subjects with CHF. This review highlights those questions and helps to set the research agenda in this area.