Overview

Statin Therapy in Heart Failure: Potential Mechanisms of Benefit

Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2009-02-01
Target enrollment:
0
Participant gender:
All
Summary
The goal of the investigators' study is to further understand the potentially beneficial effects of statin therapy in patients with heart failure. It is hypothesized that statins will 1) increase the heart's pumping ability 2) improve functioning of the sympathetic nervous system and 3) decrease immune activation in heart failure.
Phase:
Phase 4
Accepts Healthy Volunteers?
No
Details
Lead Sponsor:
University of California, Los Angeles
Collaborators:
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Pfizer
Treatments:
Atorvastatin
Atorvastatin Calcium
Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors
Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:

- Age≥18 years old

- LVEF ≤ 35%, as documented by echocardiography, radionuclide ventriculography, gated
SPECT, or contrast ventriculography within past 6 months

- Symptomatic HF (NYHA II-IV) or current NYHA I with history of symptomatic HF within
the last year

- Stable doses of optimal HF medical therapy, unless documented contraindication.

Exclusion Criteria:

- Ischemic etiology of HF, defined as the presence of at least one of the following four
criteria; angiographic evidence of > 50% lesion in 1 or more of the 3 major epicardial
vessels; history of myocardial infarction; history of revascularization procedure;
evidence of significant perfusion defect in the setting of ischemic symptoms.

- Clinical indication for statin treatment - coronary artery, cerebrovascular, or
peripheral vascular disease

- Major cardiovascular event or surgical procedure within past 8 weeks

- LDL<70 mg/dL

- HF secondary to congenital heart disease or uncorrected valvular disease

- Treatment with statin within past 2 months

- Pregnancy

- Contraindication to statin: moderate liver disease, AST/ALT > 150 U/ L, known
hypersensitivity

- Likely to receive heart transplant within 3 months

- Known peripheral or autonomic neuropathy