Dose-response of chronic β-blocker treatment in heart failure from either idiopathic dilated or ischemic cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Background: Small-scale clinical investigations have demonstrated that single doses of β-blocking agents can improve left ventricular function in heart failure from idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC). The purpose of this multicenter clinical trial was to determine the dose-effect characteristics of β-blockade in a heart failure population that includes ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy (ISCD). Methods and Results: Bucindolol is a nonselective β-blocking agent with mild vasodilatory properties. One hundred forty-one subjects with class II or III heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤0.40, and background therapy of angiotensin- converting enzyme inhibitors, digoxin, and diuretics were given an initial challenge dose of bucindolol 12.5 mg. One hundred thirty-nine subjects (99 with IDC, 40 with ISCDC) tolerated challenge and were randomized to treatment with placebo or bucindolol 12.5 mg/d (low dose), 50 mg/d (medium dose), or 200 mg/d (high dose). At the end of 12 weeks, left ventricular function and other parameters were measured and compared with baseline values. There was a dose-related improvement in left ventricular function in bucindolol-treated subjects. In the high-dose bucindolol group, radionuclide-measured LVEF improved by 7.8 EF units (%) compared with 1.8 units in the placebo group (P