CHICAGO – Dr. Larry A. Allen will now have an easier time of treating hospitalized patients with acute decompensated heart failure because of the results of the PIONEER-HF trial.
That study examined whether in-hospital initiation of sacubitril/valsartan compared to enalapril is safe and effective in ADHF, a treatment that hasn’t been studied well or taken up in clinical practice.
, showed comparable safety, and reduced composite endpoint of death, rehospitalization for heart failure, implantation of a left-ventricular implant device, and need for a transplant by 46%.
Dr. Allen, of the University of Colorado, Denver, was the designated discussant for the PIONEER-HF presentation at the American Heart Association scientific sessions. In an interview, he explained how these results will change his practice as a heart failure specialist. “It simplifies things: I don’t have to start on an old therapy in the hospital, get the patients back in clinic, and switch the over to this newer therapy. I can just start from the beginning with the therapy that I think will be most effective.”
To find out why, watch the complete interview.