Conditions: Hypertension Heart Failure
Keywords: Hypertension Antihypertensive Agent Calcium Channel Blocker
Allocation: RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 117
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous (IV) clevidipine as compared with standard of care IV antihypertensive agents for blood pressure (BP) lowering in patients with acute heart failure and elevated BP.

Detailed description:
This study was an open-label randomized efficacy and safety pilot trial in patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and hypertension (systolic blood pressure \[SBP\] ≥160 mm Hg) requiring parenteral antihypertensive therapy. Eligible patients were randomized to receive clevidipine or standard of care (SOC) intravenous antihypertensive treatment in an open-label manner in a ratio of 1:1. At the time of randomization, a patient-specific, prespecified SBP target range was determined and be recorded, prior to study drug treatment. Information on the dosing regimen, use of additional or alternative agents and transition to oral therapy if needed is detailed in the study 'ARM' and 'INTERVENTION' sections.

A Data Safety Monitoring Board was utilized periodically throughout the study to monitor the safety of patients. Adverse events were assessed for 7 days post-study randomization or hospital discharge, whichever occured first. Serious adverse events (SAEs) were assessed for 30 days following study randomization. Subjects were contacted by telephone or in person up to 5 days after their 30-day time point to determine if any SAEs occurred following study drug treatment and to follow up on the Heath Economic assessments.

Arms:
arm 1: Clevidipine (0.5 mg/mL in 20% lipid emulsion) was administered intravenously via a single dedicated line to all patients randomized to the clevidipine arm. Clevidipine was infused at an initial rate of 2 mg/h for the first 3 minutes. If blood pressure was not in the target range at 3 minutes, clevidipine was titrated to effect thereafter by doubling the dose every 3 min, per physician discretion and as tolerated by the patient until the desired effect until the SBP target range was attained. Once target range was achieved, the infusion rate could be increased or decreased as needed to maintain blood pressure for minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum duration of 96 hours. The minimum infusion rate was 1 mg/h and maximum infusion rate was 32 mg/h. arm 2: For patients randomized to standard of care (SOC) IV antihypertensive treatment, a continuous infusion of an intravenous antihypertensive agent represented standard of care. The selection of treatment was at the discretion of the investigator. The infusion was to be administered according to the institution's treatment practice.

Interventions: intervention 1: Clevidipine intervention 2: Standard of Care IV antihypertensive
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Clevidipine was to be administered continuously as monotherapy during the first 30 minutes. Use of an alternative IV antihypertensive agent(s) was discouraged and was limited to where medically necessary to maintain patient safety. Patients who received an alternative antihypertensive agent along with the study drug were allowed to continue in the study. If transition to an oral antihypertensive agent was required, it was to be administered approximately 1 hour prior to the termination of clevidipine with study drug down-titrated or terminated in order to maintain the desired blood pressure level. intervention 2: SOC IV antihypertensive agent will be administered for a minimum of 30 min and, if medically warranted, may continue beyond 96 hours at the investigator's discretion. As with clevidipine, the SOC agent was to be administered continuously as monotherapy during the first 30 minutes. Use of an alternative agent(s) was discouraged and was limited to where medically necessary to maintain patient safety. Higher dose titration rates were required to be attempted prior to making the decision to switch to or add on an alternative antihypertensive agent(s). Patients who received an alternative antihypertensive agent with SOC were allowed to continue in the study. If transition to an oral antihypertensive agent was required, it was to be administered per institutional practice.

Protocol document: