Optimization of heart rate lowering therapy in hospitalized patients with heart failure: Insights from the Optimize Heart Failure Care Program.

BACKGROUND: Hospitalization is an opportunity to optimize heart failure (HF) therapy. As optimal treatment for hospitalized HF patients in sinus rhythm with heart rate≥70bpm is unclear, we investigated the impact of combined beta-blocker (BB) and ivabradine versus BBs alone on short and longer term mortality and rehospitalization. METHODS AND RESULTS: A retrospective analysis was performed on 370 hospitalized HF patients with heart rate≥70bpm (150 BB+ivabradine, 220 BB alone) in the Optimize Heart Failure Care Program in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, from October 2015 to April 2016. RESULTS: At 1month, 3months, 6months and 12months, there were fewer deaths, HF hospitalizations and overall hospitalizations in patients on BB+ivabradine vs BBs alone. At 12months, all-cause mortality or HF hospitalization was significantly lower with BB+ivabradine than BBs (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 0.45 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-0.64, P<0.0001). Significantly greater improvement was seen in quality of life (QOL) from admission to 12months with BB+ivabradine vs BBs alone (P=0.0001). With BB+ivabradine, significantly more patients achieved ≥50% target doses of BBs at 12months than on admission (82.0% vs 66.6%, P=0.0001), but the effect was non-significant with BBs alone. CONCLUSIONS: Heart rate lowering therapy with BB+ivabradine started in hospitalized HF patients (heart rate≥70bpm) is associated with reduced overall mortality and re-hospitalization over the subsequent 12months. A prospective randomized trial is needed to confirm the advantages of this strategy.

The Optimize Heart Failure Care Program: Initial lessons from global implementation.

Hospitalization for heart failure (HF) places a major burden on healthcare services worldwide, and is a strong predictor of increased mortality especially in the first three months after discharge. Though undesirable, hospitalization is an opportunity to optimize HF therapy and advise clinicians and patients about the importance of continued adherence to HF medication and regular monitoring. The Optimize Heart Failure Care Program (www.optimize-hf.com), which has been implemented in 45 countries, is designed to improve outcomes following HF hospitalization through inexpensive initiatives to improve prescription of appropriate drug therapies, patient education and engagement, and post-discharge planning. It includes best practice clinical protocols for local adaptation, pre- and post-discharge checklists, and 'My HF Passport', a printed and smart phone application to improve patient understanding of HF and encourage involvement in care and treatment adherence. Early experience of the Program suggests that factors leading to successful implementation include support from HF specialists or 'local leaders', regular educational meetings for participating healthcare professionals, multidisciplinary collaboration, and full integration of pre- and post-hospital discharge checklists across care services. The Program is helping to raise awareness of HF and generate useful data on current practice. It is showing how good evidence-based care can be achieved through the use of simple clinician and patient-focused tools. Preliminary results suggest that optimization of HF pharmacological therapy is achievable through the Program, with little new investment. Further data collection will lead to a greater understanding of the impact of the Program on HF care and key indicators of success.

Effect of ivabradine on central aortic blood pressure in patients with stable coronary artery disease: What do we know?

Treatment of hypertensive patients with beta-blockers decreases central blood pressure (CBP) less than other antihypertensive drugs, which is believed to account for their lesser cardiovascular protection in this setting. Some authors have suggested that decreasing heart rate (HR) with beta-blockers would increase CBP. In contrast to beta-blockers, the anti-anginal agent ivabradine reduces HR without other hemodynamic effects, and represents an attractive tool for exploring the direct relationship between HR and CBP. Here, we review the available clinical data assessing the effect of selective HR reduction with ivabradine on CBP in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD). We collected data from five studies which report either increase, decrease, or neutral effects of ivabradine on CBP. Further studies are needed to clarify the exact role of ivabradine on CBP. However, as supported by its pharmacodynamic effect in patients with stable CAD, available evidence to date suggests that ivabradine does not negatively impact CBP when associated with beta-blocker. HR reduction with both beta-blockers and ivabradine remains well-established treatments for the symptomatic treatment of angina patients.

Rationale and benefits of trimetazidine by acting on cardiac metabolism in heart failure.

Heart failure is a systemic and multiorgan syndrome with metabolic failure as a fundamental mechanism. As a consequence of its impaired metabolism, other processes are activated in the failing heart, further exacerbating the progression of heart failure. Recent evidence suggests that modulating cardiac energy metabolism by reducing fatty acid oxidation and/or increasing glucose oxidation represents a promising approach to the treatment of patients with heart failure. Clinical trials have demonstrated that the adjunct of trimetazidine to the conventional medical therapy improves symptoms, cardiac function and prognosis in patients with heart failure without exerting negative hemodynamic effects. This review focuses on the rationale and clinical benefits of trimetazidine by acting on cardiac metabolism in heart failure, and aims to draw attention to the readiness of this agent to be included in all the major guidelines dealing with heart failure.