Tolvaptan improves the long-term prognosis in patients with congestive heart failure with preserved ejection fraction as well as in those with reduced ejection fraction

Abstract

Tolvaptan (TLV), an arginine vasopressin type 2 antagonist, has been shown to play a role in ameliorating symptomatic congestion and normalizing diluted hyponatremia in patients with congestive heart failure (HF). However, most evidence was derived from patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and the clinical efficacy of TLV in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains uncertain. In this study, we retrospectively enrolled 60 in-hospital patients with stage D HF, who had received TLV to treat symptomatic congestion at our institute between 2011 and 2013. As a control group, we also enrolled 60 background-matched HF patients who did not receive TLV therapy. Patients with HFpEF (n = 29), whose left ventricular ejection fraction was > 45%, had higher age and a lower urine aquaporin-2 level relative to the plasma arginine vasopressin concentration compared with those with HFrEF (n = 91). TLV therapy significantly reduced the 2-year readmission rates in both the HFrEF and HFpEF populations (P < 0.05 for both), indicating that TLV therapy may improve the long-term prognosis not only in patients with HFrEF but also in those with HFpEF.