Efficacy and Safety of Ivabradine for Patients With Acute Heart Failure: Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

Introduction: The efficacy and safety of Ivabradine for patients with acute heart failure (AHF) is controversial, and there are few clinical trials addressing this topic. Methods: We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate efficacy and safety of Ivabradine treatment for patients with acute heart failure. We obtained data for controlled trials using the PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Clinical Trials.gov databases. The efficacy endpoints included change in heart rate, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, ejection fraction (EF) values, and a 6-min walk distance. The safety endpoints included mortality, cardiogenic mortality, incidents of hospital readmission, bradycardia, and atrial fibrillation. Ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met our criteria, and data from 656 patients were included for the study. Results: Ivabradine treatment significantly decreased heart rate and BNP and NT-proBNP levels compared with those seen in the control group. EF values were significantly increased upon ivabradine treatment. No significant differences were observed in the endpoints of the 6-min walk distance, all-cause mortality, cardiogenic mortality, incidents of hospital readmission, bradycardia, and atrial fibrillation data between ivabradine treated and control groups. Conclusions: Ivabradine can reduce heart rate and BNP and NT-pro BNP levels and elevate EF values and 6-min walk distance data significantly in acute heart failure patients. It also exhibits a stable safety profile, with similar risks of all-cause mortality, cardiogenic mortality, incidents of readmission, and major adverse cardiovascular effects compared with those of the control group.