Capabilities of Cardioprotective Therapy in the Treatment and Prevention of Heart Failure in the Postinfarction Period
Authors: Batushkin Valerii 
Published: December 2020

Recently, numerous and quite convincing data has been accumulated on the effectiveness and safety of lipid-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, antiplatelet and antihypertensive drugs in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), depending on the origin of the latter. The practitioner is suggested to use several drugs of different classes at the same time in order to reduce cardiovascular mortality, as well as the risk of recurrent myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. In CHF, metabolism in cardiomyocytes varies depending on the stage of the disease. The changes that occur in the postinfarction period are compensatory in nature, which contributes to the partial improvement of impaired metabolism, while others, on the contrary, further inhibit the processes of energy production in the myocardium. In our research paper we will discuss some capabilities of metabolic therapy of CHF and prospects in the treatment and prevention using hawthorn extract; analyze the features of interaction of some well-known cardioprotective drugs with long-term antiplatelet therapy in the postinfarction period. Initiation of therapy with a new drug in addition to clopidogrel, such as trimetazidine, may adversely affect antiplatelet activity of clopidogrel (TRACER study, 2019). As a compromise, some herbal cardioprotective drugs may be used. Hawthorn preparations containing vaso- and cardioactive substances have significant potential in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Diversified mechanism of action of hawthorn has a significant impact on various parts of the cardiovascular system. Clinical trials of more than 4,000 patients confirm that standardized hawthorn extracts are effective as adjunctive therapy in the treatment of NYHA stage I–III CHF. The main two-year results of the WISO cohort study showed that the three pivotal symptoms of heart failure — fatigue (p = 0.036), stress dyspnea (p = 0.020) and palpitations (p = 0.048) — were significantly less marked after treatment in the hawthorn group versus comparative group. Cochrane analysis (2009) of studies investigating hawthorn extract included 14 studies where hawthorn was used primarily as an adjunct to conventional treatment. Exercise tolerance increased significantly during the treatment with hawthorn extract. Thus, the weighted difference between the average double multiplication rates during cardiac stress test (CST) was 122.76 W/min, whereas end-diastolic pressure in the right ventricle and myocardial oxygen consumption decreased with hawthorn treatment (a weighted mean difference was 19.22 mmHg per 1 min). The reported side effects were infrequent, mild and transient. A special hawthorn extract is indicated for the treatment of patients with NYHA stage II heart failure as an alternative and supplement to the standard evidence-based drug therapy. The beneficial effect on clinical symptoms allowed patients in the Crataegus group to reduce the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors from 54 to 36% (p = 0.004), cardiac glycosides from 37 to 18% (p = 0.001), diuretics from 61 to 49% (p = 0.061), beta-blockers from 33 to 22% (p = 0.052). At the same time, SPICE and HERB CHF studies show greater efficacy of Crataegus preparations in the treatment of mild to moderate heart failure (NYHA stage I–II). Higher doses (1800 mg) may be required for critically ill patients in order to achieve sustained improvement. Analysis of the data available to date is promising but suggests the need for a more focused approach to dosing based on the disease severity.