1.
Potassium reduction with sodium zirconium cyclosilicate in patients with heart failure.
Tardif, JC, Rouleau, J, Chertow, GM, Al-Shurbaji, A, Lisovskaja, V, Gustavson, S, Zhao, Y, Bouabdallaoui, N, Desai, AS, Chernyavskiy, A, et al
ESC heart failure. 2023;(2):1066-1076
Abstract
AIMS: Several patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) do not receive renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors at the recommended dose or at all, frequently due to actual or feared hyperkalaemia. Sodium zirconium cyclosilicate (SZC) is an orally administered non-absorbed intestinal potassium binder proven to lower serum potassium concentrations. METHODS AND RESULTS PRIORITIZE-HF was an international, multicentre, parallel-group, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the benefits and risks of using SZC to intensify RAAS inhibitor therapy. Patients with symptomatic HFrEF were eligible and randomly assigned to receive SZC 5 g or placebo once daily for 12 weeks. Doses of study medication and RAAS inhibitors were titrated during the treatment period. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients at 12 weeks in the following categories: (i) any RAAS inhibitor at less than target dose, and no MRA; (ii) any RAAS inhibitor at target dose and no MRA; (ii) MRA at less than target dose; and (iv) MRA at target dose. Due to challenges in participant management related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the study was prematurely terminated with 182 randomized patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the distribution of patients by RAAS inhibitor treatment categories at 3 months (P = 0.43). The proportion of patients at target MRA dose was numerically higher in the SZC group (56.4%) compared with the placebo group (47.0%). Overall, SZC was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS PRIORITIZE-HF was terminated prematurely due to COVID-19 and did not demonstrate a statistically significant increase in the intensity of RAAS inhibitor therapies with the potassium-reducing agent SZC compared with placebo.
2.
Growth differentiation factor-15 is not modified by sacubitril/valsartan and is an independent marker of risk in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: the PARADIGM-HF trial.
Bouabdallaoui, N, Claggett, B, Zile, MR, McMurray, JJV, O'Meara, E, Packer, M, Prescott, MF, Swedberg, K, Solomon, SD, Rouleau, JL, et al
European journal of heart failure. 2018;(12):1701-1709
Abstract
AIMS: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is associated with adverse prognosis in cardiovascular (CV) and non-CV diseases. We evaluated the association of GDF-15 with CV and non-CV outcomes in the PARADIGM-HF trial. METHODS AND RESULTS In 1935 patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in PARADIGM-HF, median GDF-15 values were elevated and similar in sacubitril/valsartan and enalapril patients (1626 ng/L and 1690 ng/L, respectively). Diabetes, age, creatinine, high-sensitive troponin T, N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide, and New York Heart Association class III/IV were most strongly associated with elevated GDF-15 values (all P < 0.001) (adjusted R2 = 0.3857). Baseline GDF-15 and changes in GDF-15 at both 1 month and 8 months (log-transformed) were associated with subsequent mortality and CV events. Each 20% increment in baseline GDF-15 value was associated with a higher risk of mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.18, P < 0.001], the combined endpoint of CV death or hospitalization for heart failure (adjusted HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.05-1.14, P < 0.001) and heart failure death (adjusted HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.05-1.28, P < 0.001). Changes in GDF-15 were not influenced by assigned therapy (all P-values ≥ 0.1). CONCLUSION In patients with ambulatory HFrEF, GDF-15 is not modified by sacubitril/valsartan and is strongly associated with mortality and CV outcomes, suggesting that GDF-15 is a marker of poor outcomes in these patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01035255.