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Clinical trials update from Heart Rhythm 2008 and Heart Failure 2008: ATHENA, URGENT, INH study, HEART and CK‐1827452
Author(s) -
Coletta Alison P.,
Cleland John G.F.,
Cullington Damien,
Clark Andrew L.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
european journal of heart failure
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.149
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1879-0844
pISSN - 1388-9842
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejheart.2008.07.006
Subject(s) - medicine , heart failure , atrial fibrillation , ejection fraction , cardiology , heart rhythm , placebo , dronedarone , stroke (engine) , amiodarone , mechanical engineering , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering
This article provides information and a commentary on trials relevant to the pathophysiology, prevention and treatment of heart failure, presented at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting in San Francisco, USA and the Heart Failure Association meeting of the European Society of Cardiology which was held in Milan, Italy in June 2008. Unpublished reports should be considered as preliminary data, as analyses may change in the final publication. The ATHENA study showed that dronedarone reduced the incidence of the composite outcome of cardiovascular hospitalisation or death, in patients with atrial fibrillation or flutter, 29% of whom had a history of heart failure, compared with placebo. The URGENT study demonstrated that treatment of acute heart failure with standard therapy, including intravenous diuretics and nitrates, leads to a rapid resolution of breathlessness in the sitting position but that orthopnoea often persists. The INH study showed that a disease management programme could reduce mortality compared to usual care but not hospitalisation rates. The HEART study failed to recruit its planned number of patients, although it is the largest randomised trial of revascularisation in heart failure reported to date. At a median follow‐up of 5 years no difference in mortality was observed but the study lacked power to provide a conclusive result. The selective myosin activator CK‐1827452 produced a concentration dependent increase in systolic ejection time, stroke volume and fractional shortening in patients with heart failure compared to placebo.