Efficacy of Sacubitril/Valsartan in the Setting of Acute Heart Failure: A Systematic Review

Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is one of the conditions associated with high rates of mortality and morbidity, in addition to its economic burden. Sacubitril/valsartan, the emerging drug in the field of heart failure, has been showing favorable outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, its efficacy in patients with acute decompensated heart failure remains obscure. This systematic review aims to offer more clarity to this established gap of knowledge. PubMed, ScienceDirect, and ScienceOpen were explored to gain access to studies on this topic. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the safety and efficacy of using sacubitril/valsartan in the acute setting. Five clinical trials, 10 observational studies, including two abstracts, in addition to seven case reports and one editorial, were obtained and analyzed. Key outcomes of interest were safety and tolerability, efficacy reflected by N-terminal proB-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), and other serum and echocardiographic parameters. Additionally, target dose attainment, rehospitalization rates, and hemodynamics effect were also outcomes of interest. Based on our findings, the use of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with ADHF and cardiogenic shock is an effective measure. Although most of the results pointed to its safety, some of them showed the outcome of serious adverse events recommending its cautious use.