Enalapril treatment and hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.
BACKGROUND
Experimental and clinical evidence suggests a preventive role for agiotensin-coverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on the development of atrial fibrillation. However, the effect of ACE inhibition on hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is not known. We sought to determine whether enalapril treatment reduced hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with LV dysfunction.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective analysis of the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trial. Hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias were noted.


RESULTS
A total of 192 hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias occurred in 158 patients during a follow-up period of 34 months. The time to first hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias or death was significantly lower in the enalapril group (P =.005). In a multivariate analysis adjusting for the presence of atrial fibrillation at study entry, enalapril treatment was associated with a reduction in the rate of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias or death (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.96; P =.007). The incidence of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias was 7.9 hospitalizations per 1000 patient-years of follow-up in the enalapril group, compared with 12.4 per 1000 patient-years in the placebo group (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85; P =.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Enalapril is associated with a decreased incidence of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with LV dysfunction.
Alsheikh-Ali
Alawi A
AA
Tufts-New England Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiolgy, Boston, Mass, USA.
Wang
Paul J
PJ
Rand
William
W
Konstam
Marvin A
MA
Homoud
Munther K
MK
Link
Mark S
MS
Estes
N A Mark
NA
Salem
Deeb N
DN
Al-Ahmad
Amin M
AM
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004656:Enalapril / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D004656:Enalapril