Patient Eligibility for Established and Novel Guideline-Directed Medical Therapies After Acute Heart Failure Hospitalization

Background: Acute heart failure (AHF) hospitalization presents an opportunity to optimize pharmacotherapy to improve outcomes.

Objectives: This study's aim was to define eligibility for initiation of guideline-directed medical therapy and newer heart failure (HF) agents from recent clinical trials in the AHF population.

Methods: The authors analyzed patients with an AHF admission within the CAN-HF (Canadian Heart Failure) registry between January 2017 and April 2020. Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) was defined as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤40% and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) as LVEF >40%. Eligibility was assessed according to the major society guidelines or enrollment criteria from recent landmark clinical trials.

Results: A total of 809 patients with documented LVEF were discharged alive from hospital: 455 with HFrEF and 354 with HFpEF; of these patients, 284 had a de novo presentation and 525 had chronic HF. In HFrEF patients, eligibility for therapies was 73.6% for angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors (ARNIs), 94.9% for beta-blockers, 84.4% for mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRAs), 81.1% for sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, and 15.6% for ivabradine. Additionally, 25.9% and 30.1% met trial criteria for vericiguat and omecamtiv mecarbil, respectively. Overall, 71.6% of patients with HFrEF (75.5% de novo, 69.5% chronic HF) were eligible for foundational quadruple therapy. In the HFpEF population, 37.6% and 59.9% were eligible for ARNIs and SGLT2 inhibitors based on recent trial criteria, respectively.

Conclusions: The majority of patients admitted with AHF are eligible for foundational quadruple therapy and additional novel medications across a spectrum of HF phenotypes.