IMPORTANCE Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) improve outcomes in patients with heart failure and a reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The association with cardiac remodeling has not been investigated. OBJECTIVE To investigate the outcome of the SGLT2i empagliflozin, compared with placebo, on cardiac remodeling in patients with HFrEF. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTSThis exploratory post hoc analysis included participants with stable HFrEF and ejection fractions of 40% or less, who were randomly enrolled in an investigator-initiated, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial

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Background Data from recent cardiovascular outcome trials in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) suggest that sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors can prevent development of heart failure (HF) and prolong life in patients without HF. Ongoing event-driven trials are investigating whether the same effect is present in patients with well-defined HF. The mechanism behind the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors in patients with T2D and the potential effect in patients with overt HF is presently unknown. Methods This is a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, parallel group, clinical trial including HF patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) with an ejection fraction ≤ 40% on optimal therapy recruited from specialized HF clinics in Denmark. The primary aim is to investigate the effect of the SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin on N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). Secondary endpoints include cardiac biomarkers, function and hemodynamics, metabolic and renal parameters, daily activity level, and quality of life. Patients are assigned 1:1 to 90 days treatment with empagliflozin 10 mg daily or placebo. Patients with T2D are required to be on recommended doses of anti-glycemic therapy with a hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) of 6.5–10.0% (48–86 mmol/mol). To show a between-group difference in the change of NT-proBNP of 30%, a total of 189 patients will be included. Discussion The Empire HF trial will elucidate the effects and modes of action of empagliflozin in HFrEF patients with and without T2D and provide important mechanistic data which will complement ongoing event-driven trials. Trial registration Clinicaltrialsregister.eu, EudraCT Number 2017-001341-27 . Registered on 29 May 2017. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03198585 . Registered on 26 June 2017. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-019-3474-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background: Concomitant vasoactive drugs are often required to maintain adequate perfusion pressure in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and cardiogenic shock (CS) receiving hemodynamic support with an axial flow pump (Impella CP). Objective: To compare the effect of equipotent dosages of epinephrine, dopamine, norepinephrine, and phenylephrine on cardiac work and end-organ perfusion in a porcine model of profound ischemic CS supported with an Impella CP. Methods: CS was induced in 10 pigs by stepwise intracoronary injection of polyvinyl microspheres. Hemodynamic support with Impella CP was initiated followed by blinded crossover to vasoactive treatment with norepinephrine (0.10 μg/kg/min), epinephrine (0.10 μg/kg/min), or dopamine (10 μg/kg/min) for 30 min each. At the end of the study, phenylephrine (10 μg/kg/min) was administered for 20 min. The primary outcome was cardiac workload, a product of pressure-volume area (PVA) and heart rate (HR), measured using the conductance catheter technique. End-organ perfusion was assessed by measuring venous oxygen saturation from the pulmonary artery (SvO 2 ), jugular bulb, and renal vein. Treatment effects were evaluated using multilevel mixed-effects linear regression. Results: All catecholamines significantly increased LV stroke work and cardiac work, dopamine to the greatest extend by 341.8 × 10 3 (mmHg × mL)/min [95% CI (174.1, 509.5), p < 0.0001], and SvO 2 significantly improved during all catecholamines. Phenylephrine, a vasoconstrictor, caused a significant increase in cardiac work by 437.8 × 10 3 (mmHg × mL)/min [95% CI (297.9, 577.6), p < 0.0001] due to increase in potential energy (p = 0.001), but no significant change in LV stroke work. Also, phenylephrine tended to decrease SvO 2 (p = 0.063) and increased arterial lactate levels (p = 0.002). Conclusion: Catecholamines increased end-organ perfusion at the expense of increased cardiac work, most by dopamine. However, phenylephrine increased cardiac work with no increase in end-organ perfusion.

Background and aim: This study aimed to assess right ventricular (RV) function during cardiogenic shock due to acute left ventricular (LV) failure, including during LV unloading with Impella CP and an added moderate dose of norepinephrine. Methods: Cardiogenic shock was induced by injecting microspheres in the left main coronary artery in 18 adult Danish Landrace pigs. Conductance catheters were placed in both ventricles and pressure-volume loops were recorded simultaneously. Results: Cardiogenic shock due to LV failure also impaired RV performance, which was partially restored during haemodynamic support with Impella CP, as demonstrated by changes in the ventriculo-arterial coupling (Ea/Ees ratio) (baseline (median [Q1;Q3]) 1.2 [1.1;1.6]), cardiogenic shock (3.0 [2.4;4.5]), Impella CP (2.1 [1.3; 2.7]) (p Baseline vs CS < 0.0001, p CS vs Impella = 0.001)). Impella CP support also improved RV stroke work (SW) (cardiogenic shock 333 [263;530] vs Impella CP (830 [717;1121]) (p < 0.001). Moderate norepinephrine infusion concomitant with Impella CP further improved RV SW (Impella CP (818 [751;1065]) vs Impella CP+moderate norepinephrine (1231 [1142;1335]) (p = 0.01)) but at the expense of an increase in LV SW (Impella CP (858 [555;1392]) vs Impella CP+moderate norepinephrine (2101 [1024;2613]) (p = 0.04)). Conclusions: The Impella CP provided efficient LV unloading, improved RV function, and end-organ perfusion. Moderate doses of norepinephrine during Impella support further improved RV function, but at the expense of an increase in SW of the failing LV.

Background: Stressed blood volume (SBV) is a major determinant of systemic and pulmonary venous pressures which, in turn, determine left and right ventricular fillings and regulates cardiac output via the Frank-Starling mechanism. It is not known whether inhibition of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) favorably affects SBV. We investigated the effect of empagliflozin on estimated stressed blood volume (eSBV) in patients with heart failure andreduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) compared to placebo. Methods: This was a post-hoc analysis of an investigator-initiated, double-blinded, placebo controlled, randomized trial. Seventy patients were assigned to empagliflozin 10 mg or matching placebo once-daily for 12 weeks. Patients underwent right heart catheterization at rest and during exercise at baseline and follow-up. The outcome was change in eSBV after 12 weeks of empagliflozin treatment over the full range of exercise, determined using a recently introduced analytical approach based on invasive hemodynamic assessment. Results: Patients with HFrEF, mean age, 57 years and mean ejection fraction 27 %, with 47 patients (71%) receiving diuretics were randomized. The effect of empagliflozin on eSBV over the full range of exercise loads showed a statistically significant reduction compared with placebo (−198.4 mL, 95%CI: −317.4; −79.3, p=0.001), a 9% decrease. The decrease in eSBV by empagliflozin was significantly correlated with the decrease in PCWP ((R= ̶ 0.33, p<0.0001). The effect of empagliflozin was consistent across subgroup analysis. Conclusions: Empagliflozin treatment significantly reduced stressed blood volume compared with placebo after 12 weeks of treatment in patients with stable chronic HFrEF during sub maximal exercise. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov, Unique identifier: NCT03198585

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Background/aimsAssociations between retinal vein occlusion (RVO) and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) or mortality have not been evaluated in a recent cohort, after novel therapeutic options have increased referrals for treatment of the condition. We aimed to evaluate overall and subtype-stratified risk of CVD and all-cause mortality following RVO and assess any alterations after the introduction of angiostatic therapy in Denmark in 2011.MethodsThis nationwide, registry-based cohort study from 1998 to 2018 evaluated 4 194 781 individuals. Hazard ratios (HRs) were reported for RVO as an overall measure and subclassified as branch and central RVO.ResultsPatients with RVO (n=15 665) were median 71.8 years old at the time of exposure and 50.7% were women. RVO associated with incident CVD (adjusted HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.09 to 1.17) but not mortality (adjusted HR 1.01, 95% CI 0.98 to 1.03). Almost similar risks of CVD were found for patients with branch and central RVO (adjusted HRs 1.14, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.25, and 1.12, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.25, respectively), but only patients with central RVO exhibited increased mortality (adjusted HR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.26). Mortality was higher for patients diagnosed after 2011 (adjusted HRs 1.11, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.16 vs 0.97, 95% CI 0.94 to 1.00).ConclusionIn a cohort of the Danish population aged 40 years or more, patients with RVO had a 13% increased risk of incident CVD compared with unexposed individuals. Mortality was increased after 2011, when intravitreal angiostatic treatment was introduced and referral practices altered.