Antecedentes y objetivo: Varios informes han demostrado la persistencia de síntomas a largo plazo luego de la infección inicial por COVID-19 (síndrome post-COVID-19). El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar las características de la prueba de esfuerzo cardiopulmonar (PECP) realizada en pacientes con antecedentes de infección por COVID-19, comparando sujetos según la presencia de síndrome post-COVID-19. Métodos: se realizó un estudio transversal. Se incluyeron pacientes consecutivos > 18 años con antecedentes de infección por SARS-CoV-2 confirmada por la prueba de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa y una PECP realizada entre 45 y 120 días luego del episodio viral. Se evaluó la asociación entre variables relacionadas con la PECP y síndrome post-COVID-19 mediante análisis univariante y multivariado. Resultados: Se incluyeron 200 pacientes (edad media 48,8 ± 14,3 años, 51% hombres). Los pacientes con síndrome post-COVID-19 mostraron un VO 2 pico significativamente menor (25,8 ± 8,1 ml / min / kg frente a 28,8 ± 9,6 ml / min / kg, p = 0,017) en comparación con los sujetos asintomáticos. Además, los pacientes con síndrome post-COVID-19 desarrollaron síntomas con mayor frecuencia durante la PECP (52,7% vs 13,7%, p <0,001) y tenían menos probabilidades de alcanzar el umbral anaeróbico (50,9% vs 72,7%, p = 0,002) en comparación con sujetos asintomáticos. Estos hallazgos no se modificaron al ajustar por factores de confusión. Conclusión: Nuestros datos sugieren que el síndrome post-COVID-19 se asoció con un menor VO 2 pico, una menor probabilidad de alcanzar el umbral anaeróbico y una mayor probabilidad de presentar síntomas durante la PECP. Se necesitan estudios futuros para determinar si estas anomalías durante la PECP tendrían valor pronóstico.

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Sacubitril/valsartan (SV) is a new therapy in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Our aim was to determine the efficacy and safety of this drug daily clinical practice. We performed a multicenter registry in 10 hospitals. All patients who started SV from October 2016 to March 2017 on an outpatient basis were included. A total of 427 patients started treatment with SV. Mean follow-up was 7.0 ± 0.1 months. Forty-nine patients (11.5%) discontinued SV, and 12 (2.8%) died. SV discontinuation was associated with higher cardiovascular (hazard ratio 13.22, 95% confidence interval, 6.71–15.73, P < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 13.51, 95% confidence interval 3.22–56.13, P < 0.001). Symptomatic hypotension occurred in 71 patients (16.6%). Baseline N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide levels, functional class, and left ventricular ejection fraction improved at the end of follow-up in patients who continued with SV (all P values ≤0.001). This improvement was not significant in patients with SV discontinuation. SV has a good tolerability in patients from daily clinical practice. SV withdrawal in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction was independently associated with increased all-cause mortality. Patients who continued with SV presented an improvement in functional class left ventricular ejection fraction and N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide levels.

Background: Women are underrepresented in sacubitril/valsartan (SV) clinical trials. The aim of this study was to assess sex-specific differences in efficacy, tolerability, and safety of SV in real-world heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients. Methods: A prospective registry in 10 centers including all patients who started SV during the last 6 months was analyzed in this study. Results: A total of 427 patients were included, 126 (29.5%) were women. There were no substantial differences in HFrEF treatment before SV initiation, although fewer women than men carried an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (57 [45.2%] vs. 173 [58.1%], p = 0.02). SV starting dose was 24/26 mg b.i.d. in 206 patients (48.2%), 49/51 mg b.i.d. in 184 (43.1%), and 97/103 mg b.i.d. in 34 (8.2%), without relevant differences associated to sex. There were no losses during a mean follow-up of 7.0 ± 0.1 months. The proportion of patients who discontinued the drug (16 [12.7%] women vs. 33 [11.0%] men, p = 0.66) or presented SV-related adverse effects (31 [24.6%] women vs. 79 [26.5%] men, p = 0.72) was also similar in both sexes. However, female sex was an independent predictor of functional class improvement in the multivariate analysis (odds ratio 2.33, 95% confidence interval: 1.24–4.38, p = 0.04). Conclusions: SV in women with HFrEF has a similar tolerability as in men. Females seem to have a more frequent functional class improvement than males.

Background: A significant number of heart failure (HF) patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) experience ventricular function recovery during follow-up. We studied the variables associated with LVEF recovery in patients treated with sacubitril/valsartan (SV) in clinical practice. Methods: We analyzed data from a prospective and multicenter registry including 249 HF outpatients with reduced LVEF who started SV between October 2016 and March 2017. The patients were classified into 2 groups according to LVEF at the end of follow-up (> 35%: group R, or ≤35%: group NR). Results: After a mean follow-up of 7 ± 0.1 months, 62 patients (24.8%) had LVEF > 35%. They were older (71.3 ± 10.8 vs. 67.5 ± 12.1 years, p = 0.025), and suffered more often from hypertension (83.9 vs. 73.8%, p = 0.096) and higher blood pressure before and after SV (both, p < 0.01). They took more often high doses of beta-blockers (30.6 vs. 27.8%, p = 0.002), with a smaller proportion undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (14.8 vs. 29.0%, p = 0.028) and fewer implanted cardioverter defibrillators (ICD; 32.8 vs. 67.9%, p < 0.001), this being the only predictive variable of NR in the multivariate analysis (OR 0.26, 95% CI 0.13-0.47, p < 0.0001). At the end of follow-up, the mean LVEF in group R was 41.9 ± 8.1% (vs. 26.3 ± 4.7% in group NR, p < 0.001), with an improvement compared with the initial LVEF of 14.6 ± 10.8% (vs. 0.8 ± 4.5% in group NR, p < 0.0001). Functional class improved in both groups, mainly in group R (p = 0.035), Díez-Villanueva et al. with fewer visits to the emergency department (11.5 vs. 21.6%, p = 0.07). Conclusions: In patients with LVEF ≤35% treated with SV, not carrying an ICD was independently associated with LVEF recovery, which was related to greater improvement in functional class.