Characterization and Prediction of Adverse Events From Intensive Chronic Heart Failure Management and Effect on Quality of Life: Results From the Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Outpatient-Tailored Chronic Heart Failure Therapy (PROTECT) Study

Long-Term Treatment With Sacubitril/Valsartan in Japanese Patients With Chronic Heart Failure and Reduced Ejection Fraction - Open-Label Extension of the PARALLEL-HF Study

BACKGROUND

The PARALLEL-HF study assessed the efficacy and safety of sacubitril/valsartan vs. enalapril in Japanese patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). This open-label extension (OLE) assessed long-term safety with sacubitril/valsartan.

METHODS AND RESULTS

This study enrolled 150 patients who received sacubitril/valsartan 50 or 100 mg, b.i.d., in addition to optimal background heart failure (HF) therapy. A dose level of sacubitril/valsartan 200 mg, b.i.d., was targeted by Week 8. At OLE baseline, higher concentrations of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and urine cGMP, and lower concentrations of N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), were observed in the sacubitril/valsartan core group (patients who received sacubitril/valsartan in both the core and extension study) than in the enalapril core group (patients who received enalapril in the core study and were then transitioned to sacubitril/valsartan). The mean exposure to study drug was 98.9%. There was no trend of worsening of HF at Month 12. No obvious changes in cardiac biomarkers were observed, whereas BNP and urine cGMP increased and NT-proBNP decreased in the enalapril core group, which was evident at Weeks 2-4 and sustained to Month 12.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term sacubitril/valsartan at doses up to 200 mg, b.i.d., has a positive risk-benefit profile; it was safe and well tolerated in Japanese patients with chronic HFrEF.

Natriuretic Peptide Response and Outcomes in Chronic Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction

BACKGROUND

The GUIDE-IT (GUIDing Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment in Heart Failure) trial demonstrated that a strategy to "guide" application of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) by reducing amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) was not superior to GDMT alone.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to examine the prognostic meaning of NT-proBNP changes following heart failure (HF) therapy intensification relative to the goal NT-proBNP value of 1,000 pg/ml explored in the GUIDE-IT trial.

METHODS

A total of 638 study participants were included who were alive and had available NT-proBNP results 90 days after randomization. Rates of subsequent cardiovascular (CV) death/HF hospitalization or all-cause mortality during follow-up and Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) overall scores were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 198 (31.0%) subjects had an NT-proBNP ≤1,000 pg/ml at 90 days with no difference in achievement of NT-proBNP goal between the biomarker-guided and usual care arms. NT-proBNP ≤1,000 pg/ml by 90 days was associated with longer freedom from CV/HF hospitalization or all-cause mortality (p < 0.001 for both) and lower adjusted hazard of subsequent HF hospitalization/CV death (hazard ratio: 0.26; 95% confidence interval: 0.15 to 0.46; p < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 0.34; 95% confidence interval: 0.15 to 0.77; p = 0.009). Regardless of elevated baseline concentration, an NT-proBNP ≤1,000 pg/ml at 90 days was associated with better outcomes and significantly better KCCQ overall scores (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction whose NT-proBNP levels decreased to ≤1,000 pg/ml during GDMT had better outcomes. These findings may help to understand the results of the GUIDE-IT trial. (Guiding Evidence Based Therapy Using Biomarker Intensified Treatment [GUIDE-IT]; NCT01685840).

Established and Emerging Roles of Biomarkers in Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is a complex syndrome with an enormous societal burden in terms of cost, morbidity, and mortality. Natriuretic peptide testing is now widely used to support diagnosis, prognostication, and management of patients with HF and are incorporated into HF clinical practice guidelines. Beyond the natriuretic peptides, novel biomarkers may supplement traditional clinical and laboratory testing to improve understanding of the complex disease process of HF and possibly to personalize care for those affected through better individual phenotyping. In this review, we will discuss natriuretic peptides and the more novel biomarkers by dividing them into categories based on the major pathophysiologic pathways they represent. Given the complex physiology in HF, it is reasonable to expect that the future of biomarker testing lies in the application of multimarker testing panels, precision medicine to improve HF care delivery, and the use of biomarkers in proteomics and metabolomics to further improve HF care.

Midrange ejection fraction as a risk factor for deterioration of cardiofunction after permanent pacemaker implantation

PURPOSE

To determine whether the midrange ejection fraction (mrEF) is associated with increased risk of deterioration of cardiac function (DCF) after dual chamber permanent pacemaker (PPM) implantation.

METHODS

We performed a prospective cohort study of relevance in patients with EF ≥ 40% and indications for PPMs. Patient characteristics were recorded at baseline and 1 day, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after PPM implantation with leads placed in the right ventricular apex. These included clinical symptoms, signs, biochemical parameters, BNP, echocardiography and ECG parameters, and pacing-related parameter changes. The patients were followed-up for 6 months. Univariate and multivariable Cox regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

A total of 879 patients were included, aged 35 to 88 years (mean age 67.2 ± 9.6); a total of 81 patients (9.2%) developed DCF after PPM implantation, including LVEF < 40% (57 cases) and increased NYHA class (24 cases). Cox models demonstrated that age ≥ 75 years (HR 2.273 [95% CI, 1.541-3.626]), OMI (HR 2.078 [95% CI, 1.275-3.604]), mrEF (HR 2.762 [95% CI, 1.558-4.769]), moderate mitral regurgitation (HR 2.819 [95% CI, 1.604-4.153]), and right ventricular pacing ≥ 50% (HR 2.311 [95% CI, 1.478-3.937]) were strong predictors for DCF, and NT-proBNP > 1000 ng/L and paced QRS duration ≥ 180 ms were also the independent predictors of DCF.

CONCLUSIONS

MrEF was associated with increased risk of deterioration of cardiac function after PPM implantation. Moderate mitral regurgitation and increased NT-proBNP levels are also potential independent predictors for deterioration of cardiac function after PPM implantation.

Sleep Apnea: Types, Mechanisms, and Clinical Cardiovascular Consequences

Sleep apnea is highly prevalent in patients with cardiovascular disease. These disordered breathing events are associated with a profile of perturbations that include intermittent hypoxia, oxidative stress, sympathetic activation, and endothelial dysfunction, all of which are critical mediators of cardiovascular disease. Evidence supports a causal association of sleep apnea with the incidence and morbidity of hypertension, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure, and stroke. Several discoveries in the pathogenesis, along with developments in the treatment of sleep apnea, have accumulated in recent years. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of sleep apnea, the evidence that addresses the links between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease, and research that has addressed the effect of sleep apnea treatment on cardiovascular disease and clinical endpoints. Finally, we review the recent development in sleep apnea treatment options, with special consideration of treating patients with heart disease. Future directions for selective areas are suggested.

Role of Biomarkers for the Prevention, Assessment, and Management of Heart Failure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Natriuretic peptides have led the way as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for the diagnosis and management of heart failure (HF). More recent evidence suggests that natriuretic peptides along with the next generation of biomarkers may provide added value to medical management, which could potentially lower risk of mortality and readmissions. The purpose of this scientific statement is to summarize the existing literature and to provide guidance for the utility of currently available biomarkers.

METHODS

The writing group used systematic literature reviews, published translational and clinical studies, clinical practice guidelines, and expert opinion/statements to summarize existing evidence and to identify areas of inadequacy requiring future research. The panel reviewed the most relevant adult medical literature excluding routine laboratory tests using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Web of Science through December 2016. The document is organized and classified according to the American Heart Association to provide specific suggestions, considerations, or contemporary clinical practice recommendations.

RESULTS

A number of biomarkers associated with HF are well recognized, and measuring their concentrations in circulation can be a convenient and noninvasive approach to provide important information about disease severity and helps in the detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and management of HF. These include natriuretic peptides, soluble suppressor of tumorgenicity 2, highly sensitive troponin, galectin-3, midregional proadrenomedullin, cystatin-C, interleukin-6, procalcitonin, and others. There is a need to further evaluate existing and novel markers for guiding therapy and to summarize their data in a standardized format to improve communication among researchers and practitioners.

CONCLUSIONS

HF is a complex syndrome involving diverse pathways and pathological processes that can manifest in circulation as biomarkers. A number of such biomarkers are now clinically available, and monitoring their concentrations in blood not only can provide the clinician information about the diagnosis and severity of HF but also can improve prognostication and treatment strategies.

The prevalence of potentially preventable deaths in an acute care hospital: A retrospective cohort

Studies estimate that 6% to 27% of deaths in hospitals might be prevented with higher quality care. These estimates may be inaccurate because they fail to account for the uncertainty associated with classifying preventability. The purpose of this study was to measure the prevalence of preventable deaths, accounting for the uncertainty in preventability ratings.We created standardized structured case abstracts for all deaths at a multisite academic teaching hospital over a 3-month period. Each case abstract was evaluated independently by 4 reviewers who rated death preventability on a 100-point scale ranging from 0 ("Definitely not preventable") to 100 ("Definitely preventable"). Ratings were categorized into a 4-level ordinal scale and latent class analysis was used to measure the prevalence of each preventability class and estimate the probability that deaths in each class were preventable.There were 480 deaths (3.4% of all admissions) during the study period. The latent class model (LCM) found that 91.6% (95% CI: 88.4-94.8%) of deaths were "nonpreventable" and 8.4% (5.2-11.6%) were "possibly preventable." "Possibly preventable" deaths could be identified with 90% certainty, but due to error in reviewer ratings, a "possibly preventable" death had a 50% probability of being receiving a rating of less than 25/100 by any single reviewer. Only 5 of 31 deaths classified as a "possibly preventable" (1.0% of all deaths) were judged to likely be alive in 3 months with perfect care.After accounting for uncertainty associated with rating the preventability of hospital deaths, we found that 8.4% of deaths were deemed possibly preventable. There was only moderate probability that these deaths were truly preventable.

B-type natriuretic peptide-guided treatment for heart failure

BACKGROUND

Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump enough blood to meet all the needs of the body. Symptoms of heart failure include breathlessness, fatigue and fluid retention. Outcomes for patients with heart failure are highly variable; however on average, these patients have a poor prognosis. Prognosis can be improved with early diagnosis and appropriate use of medical treatment, use of devices and transplantation. Patients with heart failure are high users of healthcare resources, not only due to drug and device treatments, but due to high costs of hospitalisation care. B-type natriuretic peptide levels are already used as biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of heart failure, but could offer to clinicians a possible tool to guide drug treatment. This could optimise drug management in heart failure patients whilst allaying concerns over potential side effects due to drug intolerance.

OBJECTIVES

To assess whether treatment guided by serial BNP or NT-proBNP (collectively referred to as NP) monitoring improves outcomes compared with treatment guided by clinical assessment alone.

SEARCH METHODS

Searches were conducted up to 15 March 2016 in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in the Cochrane Library; MEDLINE (OVID), Embase (OVID), the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database in the Cochrane Library. Searches were also conducted in the Science Citation Index Expanded, the Conference Proceedings Citation Index on Web of Science (Thomson Reuters), World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry and ClinicalTrials.gov. We applied no date or language restrictions.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomised controlled trials of NP-guided treatment of heart failure versus treatment guided by clinical assessment alone with no restriction on follow-up. Adults treated for heart failure, in both in-hospital and out-of-hospital settings, and trials reporting a clinical outcome were included.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two review authors independently selected studies for inclusion, extracted data and evaluated risk of bias. Risk ratios (RR) were calculated for dichotomous data, and pooled mean differences (MD) (with 95% confidence intervals (CI)) were calculated for continuous data. We contacted trial authors to obtain missing data. Using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, we assessed the quality of the evidence and GRADE profiler (GRADEPRO) was used to import data from Review Manager to create a 'Summary of findings' table.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 18 randomised controlled trials with 3660 participants (range of mean age: 57 to 80 years) comparing NP-guided treatment with clinical assessment alone. The evidence for all-cause mortality using NP-guided treatment showed uncertainty (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76 to 1.01; patients = 3169; studies = 15; low quality of the evidence), and for heart failure mortality (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.54 to 1.30; patients = 853; studies = 6; low quality of evidence).The evidence suggested heart failure admission was reduced by NP-guided treatment (38% versus 26%, RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.80; patients = 1928; studies = 10; low quality of evidence), but the evidence showed uncertainty for all-cause admission (57% versus 53%, RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.84 to 1.03; patients = 1142; studies = 6; low quality of evidence).Six studies reported on adverse events, however the results could not be pooled (patients = 1144; low quality of evidence). Only four studies provided cost of treatment results, three of these studies reported a lower cost for NP-guided treatment, whilst one reported a higher cost (results were not pooled; patients = 931, low quality of evidence). The evidence showed uncertainty for quality of life data (MD -0.03, 95% CI -1.18 to 1.13; patients = 1812; studies = 8; very low quality of evidence).We completed a 'Risk of bias' assessment for all studies. The impact of risk of bias from lack of blinding of outcome assessment and high attrition levels was examined by restricting analyses to only low 'Risk of bias' studies.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

In patients with heart failure low-quality evidence showed a reduction in heart failure admission with NP-guided treatment while low-quality evidence showed uncertainty in the effect of NP-guided treatment for all-cause mortality, heart failure mortality, and all-cause admission. Uncertainty in the effect was further shown by very low-quality evidence for patient's quality of life. The evidence for adverse events and cost of treatment was low quality and we were unable to pool results.