HF news of 2020: COVID-19 in HF, FDA indication for dapagliflozin and more

Healio and Cardiology Today have aggregated the most-read HF news of 2020.

Readers were most interested in the impact of COVID-19 in HF; the FDA approval of dapagliflozin for HFrEF; iron supplementation for deficiency in acute HF; and more.

HF after diabetes diagnosis raises 5-year mortality risk, lowers life span

Patients who developed HF at any time after their diabetes diagnosis had the greatest relative and absolute risk for death at 5 years compared with those with diabetes who had other CV or renal diagnoses, researchers reported. Read more

‘Broken heart syndrome’ increased during COVID-19

The incidence of stress cardiomyopathy, also known as takotsubo syndrome or broken heart syndrome, increased in patients with ACS during the COVID-19 pandemic compared with before the pandemic, researchers found. Read more

FDA approves dapagliflozin for HFrEF regardless of diabetes status

AstraZeneca announced the FDA has approved its SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin to reduce risk for CV death and HF hospitalization in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction with and without type 2 diabetes. Read more

COVID-19 may increase risk for HFpEF

There may be a link between COVID-19 and HF with preserved ejection fraction, as infection from SARS-CoV-2 may cause, unmask or exacerbate HFpEF, according to a viewpoint published in JAMA. Read more

Clinical distancing of patients with advanced HF, transplant may protect against COVID-19

One hospital system protected its patients with advanced HF and cardiac transplant from COVID-19 by safely moving them from a central hospital, which was redesigned to care for patients with COVID-19, to a cardiac specialty hospital with no patients with COVID-19, according to a paper published in The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation. Read more

Heart transplantation, deceased donor recovery rates drop amid pandemic

Researchers reported significant fluctuations in heart transplant waitlist inactivations, waitlist additions, donor recoveries and transplant volume since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March. Read more

Iron supplementation for deficiency in acute HF lowers risk for future hospitalization

Supplementation in iron-deficient patients hospitalized with acute HF reduced subsequent HF hospitalization by approximately 26% compared with placebo, according to findings from the AFFIRM-AHF trial. Read more

Omecamtiv mecarbil lowers CV death/HF events in HFrEF: GALACTIC-HF

Omecamtiv mecarbil, a novel selective cardiac myosin activator, was associated with an 8% reduction in CV death or first HF events in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction, according to results of the GALACTIC-HF trial. Read more

Empagliflozin lowers CV death, hospitalizations in HFrEF with or without diabetes

The SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin improved CV and renal outcomes in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction, regardless of diabetes status, according to results of the EMPEROR-Reduced trial. Read more

FDA panel supports expanded indication for sacubitril/valsartan in some with HFpEF

The FDA’s Cardiovascular and Renal Drugs Advisory Committee voted 12-1 that an expanded indication is warranted for sacubitril/valsartan, which could allow it as a treatment for certain patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction. Read more