Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) may be beneficial in heart failure (HF), according to the results of the Q-SYMBIO study presented this past weekend at the Heart Failure 2013 meeting in Lisbon, Portugal. But the results should be viewed with a critical eye, say experts. A possible role for CoQ10 in the treatment of HF has long been proposed. A…

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A large observational study has found no difference in the increased risk for cardiovascular disease between the two main classes of drugs used in the first-line treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). LABAs (long-acting inhaled beta-agonists) and LAMAs (long-acting muscarinic antagonists) have a variety of beneficial effects in COPD patients, but evidence has been…

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The FDA has issued a drug safety communication concerning tolvaptan (Samsca, Otsuka), a selective vasopression V2-receptor antagonist used in heart failure patients to treat clinically significant hypervolemic and euvolemic hyponatremia. The FDA said tolvaptan “should not be used for longer than 30 days and should not be used in patients with underlying liver disease because…

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Two new trials have ended up reporting conflicting results regarding the expansion of the indication for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) for patients without a wide QRS interval.  The positive results of the smaller trial seem likely to be undermined by the early stopping of the much larger trial. The first trial, NARROW-CRT, published in Circulation:…

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Patients with atrioventricular (AV) block generally receive right ventricular (RV) pacing; cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has been restricted to patients with a low ejection fraction and a wide QRS duration. However, RV pacing may worsen LV dysfunction in AV block patients with low ejection fractions. Previous studies have raised the possibility that these patients may…

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Laying out a road map for better trials and ultimately better outcomes for this confounding condition

The evidence is just not compelling that this this drug would reduce hospital readmissions

Sildenafil does not improve exercise capacity or clinical status in patients with symptomatic heart failure (HF) and preserved ejection fraction, according to a JAMA study. This finding contrasts with previous research suggesting a potential benefit in such patients. Some 220 HF patients with ejection fractions of 50% or greater were randomized to receive oral sildenafil…

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Might more accurate definitions of heart failure result in more positive trial results?

For more of our ACC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. Once again a trial testing the erythropoiesis-stimulating agent darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp, Amgen) has produced a negative result. Results…

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