Enalapril treatment and hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Experimental and clinical evidence suggests a preventive role for agiotensin-coverting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on the development of atrial fibrillation. However, the effect of ACE inhibition on hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is not known. We sought to determine whether enalapril treatment reduced hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with LV dysfunction.

METHODS:

We performed a retrospective analysis of the Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trial. Hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias were noted.

RESULTS:

A total of 192 hospitalizations with atrial tachyarrhythmias occurred in 158 patients during a follow-up period of 34 months. The time to first hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias or death was significantly lower in the enalapril group (P =.005). In a multivariate analysis adjusting for the presence of atrial fibrillation at study entry, enalapril treatment was associated with a reduction in the rate of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias or death (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.79-0.96; P =.007). The incidence of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias was 7.9 hospitalizations per 1000 patient-years of follow-up in the enalapril group, compared with 12.4 per 1000 patient-years in the placebo group (RR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.48-0.85; P =.002).

CONCLUSION:

Enalapril is associated with a decreased incidence of hospitalization with atrial tachyarrhythmias in patients with LV dysfunction.

• Authors: Alawi A Alsheikh-Ali, Paul J Wang, William Rand, Marvin A Konstam, Munther K Homoud, Mark S Link, N A Mark Estes 3rd, Deeb N Salem, Amin M Al-Ahmad
• Journal: American heart journal (Am Heart J) Vol. 147 Issue 6 Pg. 1061-5 (Jun 2004) ISSN: 1097-6744 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 15199356 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors
• Enalapril

Topics

• Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (therapeutic use)
• Atrial Fibrillation (epidemiology, prevention & control)
• Comorbidity
• Enalapril (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Follow-Up Studies
• Hospitalization (statistics & numerical data)
• Humans
• Incidence
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Multivariate Analysis
• Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
• Retrospective Studies
• Survival Rate
• Ventricular Dysfunction, Left (drug therapy, epidemiology)