Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Stimulators in Heart Failure

Cureus. 2021 Sep 6;13(9):e17781. doi: 10.7759/cureus.17781. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Abstract

Heart failure has a high global burden of morbidity and mortality. Despite significant advances in medical management of heart failure, the prognosis remains poor. This justifies the search for newer therapeutic agents. Recently, soluble guanylate stimulators have demonstrated favorable results in clinical trials. This article aims to summarize the guanylate cyclase signaling pathway, the role of soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators in heart failure, and data from recent clinical trials of these drugs. We concluded that soluble guanylate cyclase stimulators have significant benefits in reducing hospitalizations in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction that are at high risk of cardiovascular events. There appears to be no benefit of these drugs in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Keywords: guanylate cyclase stimulators; heart failure; heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (hfpef); heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (hfref); vericiguat.

Publication types

  • Review