Plasma norepinephrine and atrial natriuretic peptide in heart failure: influence of felodipine in the third Vasodilator Heart Failure Trial. V-HeFT III investigators

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial paper looks at ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide).

Reflex activation of the sympathetic nervous system by short-acting dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonists has been reported to harm hypertensive patients.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were teenagers, men only.

Four hundred fifty men with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction were administered standard heart failure treatment and felodipine extended release (ER) or placebo in the Vasodilator Heart Failure Trial III (V-HeFT III).

Plasma norepinephrine (PNE) levels, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels, exercise capacity, LV ejection fraction (EF), cardiac dimensions and function, and arrhythmia frequency were measured.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized and placebo-controlled.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide) could be set against what happens without it.

Hospital-free survival for baseline neurohormonal classes was assessed.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Atrial Natriuretic Factor, Biomarkers, Cause of Death, Felodipine, Heart Failure, Norepinephrine and Radioimmunoassay.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide).

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 7 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2000 (Journal of cardiac failure), a journal based in United States.

More context: the ANP (Atrial Natriuretic Peptide) compound page, all human trials.