Sacubitril/valsartan in everyday clinical practice: an observational study based on the experience of a heart failure clinic

Heart failure (HF) is a growing public health problem. Sacubitril/valsartan is now recommended to be used in persistently symptomatic patients with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <40%, replacing angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEis)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs). In the present study, we aimed to characterise the challenges of sacubitril/valsartan use in everyday clinical practice.

We assessed the medical records of patients with HF and reduced ejection fraction eligible for sacubitril/valsartan attending a HF clinic at a Portuguese University Hospital during 2018 (n=152). The number of eligible patients receiving the drug and the reasons for not prescribing sacubitril/valsartan were evaluated. Additionally, we assessed the tolerability of maximal doses of sacubitril/valsartan. New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA class) and LVEF before and after up-titration to maximal tolerated sacubitril/valsartan dose were compared. Median follow-up was 41 months.

Of the 152 included patients, 75 (49%) were prescribed the drug. The two main reasons for non-prescription were patient financial barriers (31%) and hypotension (27%). Only 33% of patients on sacubitril/valsartan did reach maximal dose. Hypotension was the main limiting factor for dose optimisation. Duration of sacubitril/valsartan treatment showed a positive association with LVEF improvement during follow-up (6.6% absolute LVEF increase/year). NYHA functional class improved significantly from baseline through the end of follow-up.

In every-day clinical practice, although sacubitril/valsartan was associated with a marked improvement in NYHA class and in LVEF, important financial and clinical barriers to the implementation of this therapy were identified.