Predischarge initiation of carvedilol in patients hospitalized for decompensated heart failure.

The use of beta-blockers for the treatment of heart failure in the United States is inadequate, despite available data and current guidelines that support their use. The Initiation Management Predischarge: Process for Assessment of Carvedilol Therapy for Heart Failure (IMPACT-HF) study was designed to determine whether initiation of beta-blockade before hospital discharge is safe and effective in improving the 60-day use of beta-blockers in patients with heart failure. IMPACT-HF compared the strategy of the initiation of carvedilol before patients were discharged versus usual care (Heart Failure Society of America guidelines recommend waiting 2 to 4 weeks after hospitalization for heart failure before initiating beta-blocker therapy) in 363 randomized patients with heart failure. The entry criteria were non-restrictive to ensure inclusion of patients reflective of the general heart failure population. The primary end point of the study (the number of patients treated with any beta-blocker at 60 days) was statistically significantly higher in the predischarge group versus the postdischarge group (91.2% vs 73.4%, respectively). Based on the study's results, predischarge initiation may be a successful strategy to improve the use of beta-blocker therapy for patients with heart failure.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes