Combining aspirin with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors in heart failure: how safe is it?

ABSTRACT

The above discussion on the interaction of aspirin and ACE inhibitors seems to suggest that aspirin in high doses may have adverse interaction with ACE inhibitors in patients with heart failure but the data obtained is not sufficient or conclusive to recommended omission of aspirin in patients with heart failure. This raises a query in the mind of the physician whether to use a combination or not? The role of aspirin in the early period after myocardial infarction is well established so is the role of ACE inhibitors. Hence in patients with myocardial infarction and preserved left ventricular function it would not be wrong to administer combination of ACE inhibitors and aspirin. Albeit at a lower dose. In patients with large myocardial infarction or heart failure, warfarin may be an option but still needs to be documented in large trials. As suggested long term use of aspirin after infarction is still ambiguous and may be harmful in patients with heart failure with its anticedent side effects. But long term benefits of ACE inhibitors in heart failure are well documented. Hence if a choice has to be made whether to discontinue either of the two drugs it would be preferable to stop the aspirin. To answer the issue of use of aspirin in patients with heart failure it would be essential to conduct a double blind randomized trial comparing known anti-thrombotic treatment, aspirin and anti-coagulants on mortality in patients with heart failure, especially caused by coronary artery disease. Such a trial is underway at the present and till the results are available it should be left to clinical judgement of the physician whether to administer aspirin in patients with heart failure after weighing the benefits versus risk.