Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence are known to be disturbed and associated with excess mortality in heart failure. The aim of this study was to investigate whether losartan, when added on top of beta-blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) therapy, could improve these indices in patients with systolic heart failure.
Methods and results: Seventy-seven patients (mean age 60.4 +/- 8.0, 80.5% male) with ischemic cardiomyopathy (mean ejection fraction 34.5 +/- 4.4%) and New York Heart Association Class II-III heart failure symptoms, already receiving a beta-blocker and an ACEI, were randomly assigned to either open-label losartan (losartan group) or no additional drug (control group) in a 2:1 ratio and the patients were followed for 12 weeks. The HRV and heart rate turbulence indices were calculated from 24-hour Holter recordings both at the beginning and at the end of follow-up. The baseline clinical characteristics, HRV, and heart rate turbulence indices were similar in the 2 groups. At 12 weeks of follow-up, all HRV parameters except pNN50 increased (SDNN: 113.2 +/- 34.2 versus 127.8 +/- 24.1, P = .001; SDANN: 101.5 +/- 31.7 versus 115.2 +/- 22.0, P = .001; triangular index: 29.9 +/- 11.1 versus 34.2 +/- 7.9, P = .008; RMSSD: 29.1 +/- 20.2 versus 34.3 +/- 23.0, P = .009; NN50: 5015.3 +/- 5554.9 versus 6446.7 +/- 6101.1, P = .024; NN50: 5.65 +/- 6.41 versus 7.24 +/- 6.99, P = .089; SDNNi: 45.1 +/- 13.3 versus 50.3 +/- 14.5, P = .004), turbulence onset decreased (-0. 61 +/- 1.70 versus -1.24 +/- 1.31, P = .003) and turbulence slope increased (4.107 +/- 3.881 versus 5.940 +/- 4.281, P = .004) significantly in the losartan group as compared with controls.
Conclusions: A 12-week-long losartan therapy significantly improved HRV and heart rate turbulence in patients with Class II-III heart failure and ischemic cardiomyopathy already on beta-blockers and ACEI.