Effect of ferric-carboxy maltose on oxygen kinetics and functional status in heart failure patients with iron deficiency

Abstract

There is a very high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in patients with systolic heart failure. The present study is a prospective, parallel, 1:1 randomized controlled trial of intravenous ferric-carboxy maltose compared with standard of care in patients with heart failure. A total of 70 patients who presented to us with symptomatic chronic heart failure were included and randomly assigned to either groups (35 per group). Post 12 weeks, there were improvements noticed in peak VO2, New York Heart Association functional classification, 6-min walk test distance covered and reduction in Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire score in the ferric-carboxy maltose as compared with standard of care group. However, no improvement in ejection fraction was noticed. Iron deficiency is commonly seen in patients with heart failure. This study was performed to observe the effect of intravenous iron therapy (ferric-carboxy maltose) in this population. The outcome showed significant benefit in symptoms and improvement in quality of life. These results are in concordance with other similar trials. Therefore, simple intravenous iron replacement along with other heart failure measures can make life easier for patients with heart failure.