Clinical trials update from the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure meeting: SHAPE, BRING-UP 2 VAS, COLA II, FOSIDIAL, BETACAR, CASINO and meta-analysis of cardiac resynchronisation therapy.
This article continues a series of reports on recent research developments in the field of heart failure. Key presentations made at the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Update meeting, held in Wroclaw, Poland, in June 2004 are reported. The SHAPE study identified a need to educate general practitioners (GPs) in order to optimise treatment of heart failure in primary care. BRING-UP 2 VAS showed that cognitive impairment is very common in elderly heart failure patients and that these patients require specialist care. Carvedilol was shown to be well tolerated and effective in elderly heart failure patients in the observational COLA II study. In the FOSIDIAL study of patients with end-stage renal disease, fosinopril showed no benefit over placebo in reducing the incidence of cardiovascular events in these high-risk patients. The BETACAR study showed that carvedilol and metoprolol produced a similar effect on left ventricular ejection fraction (+13.1% and +12.0%, respectively). Revised mortality data for the CASINO study and a meta-analysis of the effects of cardiac resynchronisation therapy on mortality in the light of the recently published COMPANION study are reported.
Department of Academic Cardiology, University of Hull, Castle Hill Hospital, Cottingham, Kingston-upon-Hull, HU16 5JQ, UK. a.p.coletta@hull.ac.uk
Alison P
AP
Coletta
John G F
JG
Cleland
Nick
N
Freemantle
Andrew L
AL
Clark
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015784:Betaxolol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D000077261:Carvedilol; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005060:Europe; D017328:Fosinopril / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D002227:Carbazoles; D011412:Propanolamines; D000077261:Carvedilol; D015784:Betaxolol; D017328:Fosinopril