BNP-guided vs symptom-guided heart failure therapy: the Trial of Intensified vs Standard Medical Therapy in Elderly Patients With Congestive Heart Failure (TIME-CHF) randomized trial

Pfisterer, Matthias; Buser, Peter; Rickli, Hans; Gutmann, Marc; Erne, Paul; Rickenbacher, Peter; Vuillomenet, André; Jeker, Urs; Dubach, Paul; Beer, Hansjürg; Yoon, Se-Il; Suter, Thomas; Osterhues, Hans H; Schieber, Michael M; Hilti, Patrick; Schindler, Ruth; Brunner-La Rocca, Hans-Peter (2009). BNP-guided vs symptom-guided heart failure therapy: the Trial of Intensified vs Standard Medical Therapy in Elderly Patients With Congestive Heart Failure (TIME-CHF) randomized trial. JAMA - the journal of the American Medical Association, 301(4), pp. 383-92. Chicago, Ill.: American Medical Association 10.1001/jama.2009.2

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CONTEXT: It is uncertain whether intensified heart failure therapy guided by N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is superior to symptom-guided therapy. OBJECTIVE: To compare 18-month outcomes of N-terminal BNP-guided vs symptom-guided heart failure therapy. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Randomized controlled multicenter Trial of Intensified vs Standard Medical Therapy in Elderly Patients With Congestive Heart Failure (TIME-CHF) of 499 patients aged 60 years or older with systolic heart failure (ejection fraction < or = 45%), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class of II or greater, prior hospitalization for heart failure within 1 year, and N-terminal BNP level of 2 or more times the upper limit of normal. The study had an 18-month follow-up and it was conducted at 15 outpatient centers in Switzerland and Germany between January 2003 and June 2008. INTERVENTION: Uptitration of guideline-based treatments to reduce symptoms to NYHA class of II or less (symptom-guided therapy) and BNP level of 2 times or less the upper limit of normal and symptoms to NYHA class of II or less (BNP-guided therapy). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes were 18-month survival free of all-cause hospitalizations and quality of life as assessed by structured validated questionnaires. RESULTS: Heart failure therapy guided by N-terminal BNP and symptom-guided therapy resulted in similar rates of survival free of all-cause hospitalizations (41% vs 40%, respectively; hazard ratio [HR], 0.91 [95% CI, 0.72-1.14]; P = .39). Patients' quality-of-life metrics improved over 18 months of follow-up but these improvements were similar in both the N-terminal BNP-guided and symptom-guided strategies. Compared with the symptom-guided group, survival free of hospitalization for heart failure, a secondary end point, was higher among those in the N-terminal BNP-guided group (72% vs 62%, respectively; HR, 0.68 [95% CI, 0.50-0.92]; P = .01). Heart failure therapy guided by N-terminal BNP improved outcomes in patients aged 60 to 75 years but not in those aged 75 years or older (P < .02 for interaction) CONCLUSION: Heart failure therapy guided by N-terminal BNP did not improve overall clinical outcomes or quality of life compared with symptom-guided treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: isrctn.org Identifier: ISRCTN43596477.

Item Type:	Journal Article (Original Article)
Division/Institute:	04 Faculty of Medicine > Department of Cardiovascular Disorders (DHGE) > Clinic of Cardiology
UniBE Contributor:	Suter, Thomas
ISSN:	0098-7484
Publisher:	American Medical Association
Language:	English
Submitter:	Factscience Import
Date Deposited:	04 Oct 2013 15:09
Last Modified:	05 Dec 2022 14:21
Publisher DOI:	10.1001/jama.2009.2
Web of Science ID:	000262777200018
URI:	https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/30489 (FactScience: 194528)