ramipril and Death--Sudden--Cardiac

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Cardiovascular Diseases; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Ramipril; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Factors; Stroke

The results of the major clinical outcome trials related to the potential antiatherosclerotic effects of the angiotensin convertase (ACE) inhibitors are reviewed after the recently published EUROPA trial results. In the postinfarction clinical situation mortality reduction was revealed in the ISIS-4 (captopril), GISSI-3 (lisinopril), AIRE (ramipril), TRACE (trandolapril), CONSENSUS (enalapril), SAVE (captopril) and in the SOLVD (enalapril) trials. In the HOPE trial performed in a high risk population the preventive antiatherosclerotic, endothel-preserving effects of ramipril resulted in a significant mortality and morbidity reduction. In the EUROPA trial a lower risk population--symptomfree coronary patients--were treated by perindopril, and it was proven also in this cohort, that the long term ACE inhibitor treatment decreased the combined endpoint of cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction and resuscitated sudden death. Based on the above data it can be advised, that all coronary patients regardless of left ventricular function and symptoms should receive long term ACE inhibitor treatment besides the other established preventive medications (platelet aggregation inhibitors + statins + beta receptor blockers).

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antihypertensive Agents; Captopril; Clinical Trials as Topic; Coronary Disease; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Enalapril; Humans; Indoles; Lisinopril; Myocardial Infarction; Perindopril; Ramipril; Treatment Outcome

Cardiovascular disease mortality among patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) exceeds that which is predicted by traditional risk factors. Sudden death accounts for up to 15-38% of patients with ESRD found dead at home. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a reliable measure of autonomic modulation and has a very strong predictive value for ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. A lower HRV is associated with increased risk. Modifying autonomic tone pharmacologically reduces death from dysrhythmia in the general population but has not been studied in ESRD.. We examined the effect of ramipril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) known in the general population to increase HRV, on cardiac function and heart rate variability in patients with renal failure. Eligible subjects on haemodialysis underwent a 2-week washout period free of ACEI or beta blockers, during which time hypertension was treated with amlodipine, which has been shown not to affect HRV. Haemodynamic and HRV measurements were obtained at baseline and after subjects were treated for 4 weeks with an ACEI.. Haemodynamics did not differ at 0 and 4 weeks. Baseline HRV values were markedly below those found in the general population, indicating pronounced predominance of sympathetic tone over vagal tone. Actual worsening of HRV with ACEI treatment was evident in several major time domains. The time domain SDNN (the standard deviation of all normal RR intervals) fell from 42.0 +/- 24.8 ms to 20.1 +/- 16.1 ms (P = 0.004) and the triangulation index fell from 178.0 +/- 94.0 to 115 +/- 59.2 (P = 0.01). A trend toward reduced HRV was seen in several other time domains.. These findings suggest that, unlike the general population, treatment of ESRD patients with an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor may cause a deleterious shift toward increased cardiac sympathetic nervous system tone.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Case-Control Studies; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Female; Heart; Heart Rate; Humans; Hypertension, Renal; Kidney Failure, Chronic; Male; Middle Aged; Ramipril; Renal Dialysis; Risk Factors; Sympathetic Nervous System; Uremia; Vagus Nerve

ACE inhibitor therapy reduces the risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, hospitalization for heart failure, and need for revascularization in high-risk patients with clinical heart failure, overt left ventricular systolic dysfunction, or vascular disease. In patients with clinical heart failure or overt left ventricular systolic dysfunction, ACE inhibitor therapy also reduces the risk of sudden or arrhythmia-related cardiac death. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the ACE inhibitor ramipril on sudden unexpected death or resuscitated cardiac arrest among the 9297 individuals without clinical heart failure or overt left ventricular dysfunction enrolled in the Heart Outcomes Prevention Evaluation (HOPE) trial.. During the median follow-up of 4.5 years, the composite outcome of unexpected death, documented arrhythmic death, or resuscitated cardiac arrest was reduced by 21% in patients randomized to ramipril therapy compared with those randomized to placebo. There were 155 (3.3%) composite outcome events in patients randomized to ramipril therapy compared with 195 (4.2%) such events in patients randomized to placebo (RR 0.79, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.98, P=0.028). There were trends toward reductions in fatal primary outcome events (unexpected death or documented arrhythmic death; RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.02, P=0.072) and in nonfatal primary outcome events (resuscitated cardiac arrest; RR 0.65, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.13, P=0.127) in the ramipril treatment group.. Ramipril reduces the risk of fatal and nonfatal serious arrhythmic events in high-risk patients without clinical heart failure or overt left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Topics: Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Double-Blind Method; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Heart Arrest; Humans; Life Tables; Male; Middle Aged; Neurotransmitter Agents; Ramipril; Risk; Survival Analysis; Treatment Outcome; Vitamin E

Topics: Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antihypertensive Agents; Blood Pressure; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction; Ramipril; Stroke; Survival Analysis; Treatment Outcome; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

After acute myocardial infarction (AMI), patients with a history of arterial hypertension (AH) have a worse prognosis than normotensives. Whether this adverse risk is beneficially modulated by treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors is unknown. We evaluated the prognostic value of antecedent hypertension in post-AMI patients given ACE inhibitor therapy.. We analysed retrospectively data from the AIRE study (randomised, placebo-controlled trial of ramipril in 2006 post-AMI patients with clinical heart failure). A history of AH was present in 28% of the patients. We examined the prognostic value of antecedent hypertension separately among placebo and ramipril treated patients and also the effect of ramipril on clinical outcomes according to whether or not a history of AH was present.. Antecedent hypertension was a significant indicator of adverse prognosis in the placebo (P) treated patients (Hazard Ratio 1.49, 95% Confidence Intervals 1.13 to 1.97, P = 0.005) but not in the ramipril (R) treated patients (1.17, 0.84 to 1.61, P = 0.34). A similar pattern was observed for the risks of sudden death (P: 1.75, 1.21 to 2.54, P = 0.003; R: 1.34, 0.86 to 2.07, P = 0.18) and severe/resistant heart failure (P: 1.48, 1.08 to 2.03, P = 0.014; R: 1.18, 0.83 to 1.68, P = 0.37). Treatment with ramipril reduced the all-cause mortality risk in both hypertensive (0.63, 0.44 to 0.89, P = 0.009) and normotensive patients (0.78, 0.61 to 0.99, P = 0.041).. Antecedent hypertension is not a significant prognosticator in patients with AMI and clinical heart failure given ACE inhibitor therapy.

Topics: Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Antihypertensive Agents; Cardiac Output, Low; Cohort Studies; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Female; Humans; Hypertension; Male; Medical Records; Middle Aged; Multivariate Analysis; Myocardial Infarction; Placebos; Prognosis; Proportional Hazards Models; Ramipril; Retrospective Studies

The importance of the effects of ACE inhibitors on sudden death, progressive heart failure and recurrent infarction to the reduction in overall mortality in heart failure and after myocardial infarction is disputed.. The AIRE study randomized 2006 patients with clinical or radiological evidence of heart failure within 2-9 days of a myocardial infarction to receive ramipiril 5 mg b.d. or matching placebo. Outcomes were assessed independently by members of an end-points committee blinded to treatment allocation.. Fewer patients developed severe resistant heart failure as their first validated end-point on rampril, despite the greater number of at-risk survivors, compared to placebo (n = 143 vs 178; risk reduction 23%; CI 5 to 39%; P = 0.017). Ramipril did not alter the rate of reinfarction or stroke. Irrespective of treatment allocation 182 (46%) patients developed resistant heart failure prior to death. A validated acute or remote myocardial reinfarction occurred in 76 (19%) patients prior to death and chest pain occurred in 90 (23%) patients around the time of death suggesting an ischaemic element to these deaths Eighty deaths occurred on the index admission, 167 during re-admission and 145 out-of-hospital. Sudden death accounted for 54% of all deaths and 93% of out-of-hospital deaths. Ramipril reduced the risk of sudden death by 30% (95% CI: 8-47%; P = 0.011). However, overall, 45% of those patients who died suddenly had severe or worsening heart failure prior to their death. Only 39% of sudden deaths were considered to be due to arrhythmias. Ramipril reduced the risk of death from circulatory failure by 18%, but this did not reach statistical significance (95% CI; 41 to -14%; P = 0.237). The magnitude of the effects on sudden death and death due to circulatory failure were not significantly different. However, 38% of the reduction in overall mortality was from the subgroup with sudden death who had developed prior severe resistant heart failure (placebo n = 35, ramipril n = 15), again emphasizing the marked benefit in preventing failure. Ramipril did not selectively alter the proportion of in- to out-of-hospital deaths.. Ramipril reduces mortality and progression to resistant heart failure among patients with evidence of heart failure early after myocardial infarction. Retarding the progression of heart failure appears to be a major factor contributing to the reduction in mortality both by reducing circulatory failure and by reducing sudden death.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Cause of Death; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Female; Heart Failure; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Myocardial Infarction; Ramipril; Recurrence; Survival Analysis; Survival Rate; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; Cause of Death; Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Heart Failure; Humans; Myocardial Infarction; Ramipril; Risk Factors; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Death, Sudden, Cardiac; Heart Failure; Humans; Myocardial Infarction; Ramipril; Risk Factors