Left ventricular reverse remodeling following initiation of sacubitril/valsartan for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and low blood pressure

Abstract

Abstract Background Sacubitril/valsartan has become an important first-line drug for symptomatic heart failure (HF) patients, especially with left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF) < 50%. Since sacubitril/valsartan was reported to be more potent than renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors for lowering blood pressure, HF patients with low blood pressure were not included in most clinical studies as a result of sacubitril/valsartan administration, and average systolic blood pressure of most enrolled patients was around 120 mmHg. Thus, the effect of sacubitril/valsartan on cardiovascular outcomes, especially LV reverse remodeling for HF patients with LVEF < 50% and low blood pressure, remains uncertain. Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the effect of sacubitril/valsartan on LV reverse remodeling after initiation of the maximum tolerated dose of sacubitril/valsartan for HF patients with LVEF < 50% and systolic blood pressure ≤ 100 mmHg, and a comparison of its efficacy with that for patients with systolic blood pressure > 100 mmHg. Methods We retrospectively studied 164 HF patients with LVEF < 50% who were treated with sacubitril/valsartan from two institutions. Echocardiography was performed before and 9.5 ± 5.1 months after initiation of maximum tolerated dose of sacubitril/valsartan. Results sacubitril/valsartan was discontinued for 17 (10.4%) as decided by the attending physician mainly due to hypotension. The prevalence of discontinuation of sacubitril/valsartan for the low blood pressure group was higher than that for the non-low blood pressure group, but the difference was not statistically significant (16.0% vs. 9.4%, P = 0.32). No serious adverse events occurred during this study. The maximum tolerated dose of sacubitril/valsartan was lower for the low blood pressure group than for the non-low blood pressure group (165 ± 106 mg vs. 238 ± 124 mg, P = 0.017). As expected, significant LV reverse remodeling was observed in the non-low blood pressure group after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan. It was noteworthy that significant LV reverse remodeling was also observed in the low blood pressure group after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan (LV end-diastolic volume: 177.3 ± 66.0 mL vs. 137.7 ± 56.1 mL, P<0.001, LV end-systolic volume: 131.6 ± 60.3 mL vs. 94.6 ± 55.7 mL, P<0.001, LVEF: 26.8 ± 10.3% vs. 33.8 ± 13.6%, P = 0.015). Relative changes in LV volumes and LVEF after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan were similar for the two groups (Figure). Conclusions Significant LV reverse remodeling can occur after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan even in HF patients with LVEF < 50% and systolic blood pressure ≤ 100 mmHg if tolerated. This finding is expected to offer new insights for better management of HF patients.Figure