title: Prognosis and mechanism of death in treated heart failure: data from the placebo arm of Val-HeFT.
abstract: The magnitude of benefit on mortality of combined angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) and beta-blocker (BB) therapy for heart failure cannot be reliably assessed from prospective randomized trials of individual drugs with intent-to-treat analysis. The placebo arm of the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT) included patients who remained on background therapy with ACEIs, BBs, neither, or both. The outcomes in these four subgroups should provide a better guide to mortality benefit. Overall mortality (mean follow-up, 23 months) was 31.6% in those receiving neither neurohormonal blocker, 29% and 39% lower in those on ACEIs or BBs, respectively, and 62% lower (11.9% mortality) in those receiving both drugs. In the neither neurohormonal inhibitor group, 48% of the heart failure-related deaths were adjudicated as sudden, whereas in the group receiving ACEIs and BBs, 79% of the deaths were sudden, and pump failure mortality was only 1% per year. The combination of ACEIs and BBs exerts a greater mortality reduction than suggested from clinical trials and reduces pump failure mortality to 1% per year.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Division, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. cohnx001@umn.edu
authors.forename: Jay N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: Peter E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Carson
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Connor
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Opasich
authors.forename: Ileana L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Piña
authors.forename: Marino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scherillo
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sinagra
authors.forename: Lynne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Warner-Stevenson
authors.forename: Felix E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Tristani
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Volpi
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D010919:Placebos; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D010919:Placebos