Echocardiographic changes in elderly patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction after sacubitril-valsartan treatment

Long-Term Trajectories of Biomarkers, Functional, and Echocardiographic Parameters in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure from Dilated or Ischaemic Cardiomyopathy

INTRODUCTION

The long-term evolution of clinical, echocardiographic, and laboratory parameters of cardiac function in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) with either reduced (HFrEF) or mildly reduced (HFmrEF) left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is incompletely characterised.

METHODS

We identified patients with chronic stable HF who presented at least twice to a university HF outpatient clinic between 1995 and 2021. Trajectories of NYHA functional class, LVEF, left ventricular internal end-diastolic diameter (LVIDD), NT-proBNP concentrations, and HF treatment over 10 years of follow-up were analysed using fractional polynomials. Analyses were repeated after stratifying patients according to aetiology (ischaemic vs. dilated) or HF category (HFrEF vs. HFmrEF).

RESULTS

A total of 2,132 patients were included, of whom 51% had ischaemic and 49% had dilated HF. Eighty six percent and 14% were classified as HFrEF and HFmrEF, respectively. Mean LVEF was 28 ± 10%, and median NT-proBNP and estimated glomerular filtration rate values were 1,170 (385-3,176) pmol/L and 81 (62-100) mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Median follow-up was 5.2 (2.6-9.2) years. Overall, NYHA functional class and LVIDD trajectories were U-shaped, whereas LVEF and NT-proBNP concentrations markedly improved during the first year and remained stable thereafter. However, the evolution of HF parameters significantly differed with respect to HF category and aetiology, with greater improvements seen in patients with HFrEF of non-ischaemic origin. Improvements in HF variables were associated with optimization of HF therapy, notably with initiation and up-titration of renin-angiotensin-system blockers.

CONCLUSION

This study provides insights into the natural history of HF in a large cohort of well-treated chronic HF outpatients with respect to subgroups of HF and different aetiologists.

Sacubitril/Valsartan in Heart Failure Hospitalization: Two Pills a Day to Keep Hospitalizations Away?

Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome with signs and symptoms that result from any structural or functional deterioration of ventricular filling or ejection of blood. It is the final stage of various cardiovascular diseases (e.g., coronary artery disease, hypertension, previous myocardial infarction) and remains one of the leading causes of hospitalization. It poses severe health and economic burden worldwide. Patients usually present with shortness of breath due to impaired cardiac ventricular filling and decreased cardiac output. Cardiac remodeling due to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system overactivation is the final pathological mechanism leading to these changes. The natriuretic peptide system is also activated to stop the remodeling. Sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin-receptor neprilysin inhibitor, has prompted a substantial conceptual change in HF treatment. Its primary mechanism is the inhibition of cardiac remodeling and the prevention of natriuretic peptide degradation by inhibiting the enzyme neprilysin. It is an efficacious, safe, and cost-effective therapy that improves the quality of life and survival rate in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and HF with preserved ejection fraction. It has been demonstrated to significantly reduce hospitalization rates and rehospitalization for HF when compared to enalapril. In this review, we have discussed the benefits of sacubitril/valsartan in treating patients with HFrEF, particularly in reducing hospitalizations and readmissions. We have also compiled studies to examine the drug's effect on adverse cardiac events. Finally, the cost benefits of the drug and optimal dosing strategies are also reviewed. Our review article, combined with the recommendations of the 2022 American Heart Association guidelines for heart failure, strongly suggests that sacubitril/valsartan is a cost-effective strategy that reduces hospitalizations for HFrEF patients when started early with optimal doses. There is still much uncertainty regarding the optimal usage of this drug, its use in HFrEF, and the cost benefits when used alone compared with enalapril.

Clinical efficacy of sacubitril-valsartan combined with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction after reperfusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Several studies have investigated the combined use of sacubitril- valsartan after reperfusion in acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). However, the sample sizes of these studies were small and their results were somewhat heterogeneous. To determine the effect of sacubitril-valsartan on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion.

Methods

Search PubMed, EMbase, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library, CNKI database, VIP database and Wanfang digital journal full-text database for eligible articles from their date of inception up to April, 2022. All data were meta-analyzed using Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 16.0 software.

Results

A total of 23 studies including 2,326 patients with acute STEMI were included. These results of this meta-analysis indicated that left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF) value within 6 months after surgery (OR, 4.29; 95% confidence interval, 3.78-4.80; P < 0.00001), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) value within 6 months after surgery (OR, -3.11; 95% CI, -3.87 to -2.35; P < 0.00001) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV) value 6 months after operation (OR, -6.22; 95% CI, -7.10 to -5.35; P < 0.00001) are better than without sacubitril and valsartan.

Conclusion

To sum up the above, the results of this study suggest that sacubitril- valsartan can reduce the reperfusion injury of ischemic myocardium by improving cardiac function within a follow-up period of 6 months.

Haemodynamic Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan Initiation in Outpatients with Chronic Heart Failure

Background

Sacubitril/valsartan (S/V) improves outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Data about the immediate, short-, and intermediate-term hemodynamic effects of S/V are limited.

Methods

In this prospective observational study, 37 outpatients with chronic HFrEF were treated with S/V according to current guideline recommendations. Next to clinical, laboratory and echocardiographic parameters, haemodynamic variables were assessed non-invasively by use of inert gas rebreathing and bioimpedance cardiography at baseline and at 2-week, 3-month and 6-month follow-up. The course of variables throughout the study and the relationship between variables were analysed using fractional polynomials.

Results

S/V treatment resulted in short- and intermediate-term improvements in NYHA functional class (2.3 ± 0.6 at baseline vs. 1.9 ± 0.5 at 6-month follow-up, p = 0.14), 6-min walk test (453 ± 110 vs. 528 ± 98 m, p = 0.02), ejection fraction (31 ± 9 vs. 36 ± 12%, p = 0.13), pulmonary artery pressure (39 ± 10 vs. 31 ± 10 mmHg, p = 0.02), and NT-proBNP values (1702 (782–2897 vs. 1004 (599–1627) ng/L, p = 0.03). In addition, S/V caused immediate decreases in systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI) and systolic blood pressure (SBP), which were associated with a simultaneous drop in stroke volume (SV) and cardiac index (CI). However, while SVRI and SBP remained at low levels during further treatment, SV and CI restored rapidly and increased to slightly higher levels thereafter.

Conclusion

The vasodilative effects of S/V result in immediate reductions in SVRI, SBP, SV and CI. However, S/V induces reverse cardiac remodelling, which is apparent shortly after treatment initiation and leads to improvements of clinical, functional, echocardiographic, laboratory and haemodynamic variables.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40256-022-00549-2.