Intravenous thyroid hormone supplementation in heart failure with cardiogenic shock

Abstract

Background: Thyroid hormone level abnormalities commonly exist in severe heart failure and may be of prognostic value. The therapeutic potential of using thyroid hormone for cardiogenic shock resulting from progressive heart failure has not been previously delineated. We sought to evaluate the role of an intravenous infusion of thyroxine as an adjunct to conventional inotropic agents and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation in patients with severe heart failure with cardiogenic shock. Methods and Results: We studied 10 consecutive patients with severe systolic heart failure that progressed to a cardiogenic shock state unresponsive to conventional pharmacological inotropic measures. Intravenous thyroxine (20 μg/h) was used as an adjunctive salvage measure after the failure of conventional pharmacological and mechanical support by intraaortic balloon pump. The invasive hemodynamic profile (right atrial pressure, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, cardiac index, mean arterial pressure), overall clinical status, core temperature, renal function, and tachyarrhythmias were compared before and sequentially at 6, 24, and 36 hours after the initiation of thyroxine administration. Long-term outcome was also defined. All patients had statistically significant improvements in cardiac index, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, and mean arterial pressure at 24 and 36 hours post-initiation of thyroxine. No sustained tachyarrhythmias were seen during the thyroxine infusion. In 9 of 10 patients who underwent left ventricular assist device placement and/or heart transplantation, the use of thyroxine served as an effective adjunctive measure to allow transitioning to definitive surgical therapy. The 6-month and 1-year cohort survival rates, achieved by the transition to surgical therapy, were 90% and 80%, respectively. Conclusion: The beneficial hemodynamic properties of intravenous thyroid hormone can be effectively used in otherwise terminal situations of cardiogenic shock, and in such situations, the use of thyroid hormone can serve as a pharmacological adjunct to a definite surgical intervention. Further studies in larger numbers of patients might be warranted to confirm these findings.