Arginine vasopressin as a target in the treatment of acute heart failure

Figure 1 Summary of neurohormonal activation in heart failure. With injury to the left ventricle and subsequent decrease in left ventricular function, there is a decrease in cardiac output, subsequent decrease in perfusion of vital organs, and activation of the various neurohormonal systems. ANP: Atrial natriuretic peptide; AT II: Angiotensin II; AVP: Arginine vasopressin; BNP: Brain natriuretic peptide; IL-6: Interleukin 6; LVEF: Left ventricular ejection fraction; NE: Norepinephrine. From Russell et al[28] with permission from Springer.