Predictors of stable outcome in treating chronic heart failure patients with carvedilol

Carverdilol has a variable outcome in treating patients with chronic heart failure. This prospective single-center study evaluated the predictors of clinical variables in determining favorable outcomes in treating chronic heart failure patients with carvedilol. The relation between clinical variables and maintenance doses of carvedilol was also determined. Seventy chronic heart failure patients (mean age, 62.2 years, 50 males and 20 females) with a left ventricular ejection fraction < 35% and functional class II-III were enrolled in the study. The patients were clinically followed-up for at least 24 months. Patients were considered to have a favorable outcome if they had no decreases in functional class or quality-of-life score, an increase in left ventricular ejection fraction>5%, were not admitted to hospital due to worsening heart failure, and free of cardiac mortality. Patients with favorable outcomes had a younger age (P = 0.021), higher baseline systolic blood pressure (P = 0.080), better baseline functional class (P = 0.001), and a higher tolerated dose of carvedilol (P = 0.026) than those in the unfavorable group. In this primarily Chinese cohort of chronic heart failure patients, those with favorable outcomes were likely to be young, have a high baseline systolic blood pressure, and good baseline functional class.