Background and objective: Sacubitril/valsartan improved the prognosis of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction in the PARADIGM-HF study. Recently, the TRANSITION and PIONEER-HF studies demonstrated the safety and efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure, with treatment initiated after hemodynamic and clinical stabilization. In this case series study, we assessed the short-term effects of sacubitril/valsartan on exercise capacity, inflammation, and biomarkers in patients with acute decompensated heart failure.
Methods: Patients admitted for acute decompensated heart failure to the Department of Internal Medicine of Telese Terme Hospital and Cardiovascular Department, University of Bari, from 9 March, 2017 to 9 June, 2018 were enrolled. Following hemodynamic stabilization, patients initiated sacubitril/valsartan 24/26 mg twice a day for 4 weeks, with up-titration to 49/51 mg twice a day based on tolerability after 1 week. Efficacy outcomes included the 6-min walking test, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, and lymphocyte count. Safety outcomes included renal function, hyperkalemia, and symptomatic hypotension.
Results: In total, 40 patients completed the study and 27 (67.5%) patients were up-titrated. Compared with baseline, exercise capacity and relative lymphocyte count increased significantly after 4 weeks of treatment, while N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein decreased significantly. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide and relative lymphocyte count independently predicted the 6-min walking test distance (p = 0.021). No patients experienced any relevant side effects.
Conclusions: Early initiation of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction after acute decompensated heart failure may be safe and effective in terms of functional capacity and biomarkers.