Clinical characteristics of patients in Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD)

David Johnstone, Marian Limacher, Michel Rousseau, Chang Seng Liang, Lars Ekelund, Michael Herman, Douglas Stewart, Maureen Guillotte, Gina Bjerken, William Gaasch, Peter Held, Joel Verter, Dawn Stewart, Salim Yusuf, SOLVD Investigators The SOLVD Investigators

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114 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Studies of Left Ventricular Dysfunction (SOLVD) trials were designed to evaluate the effects of enalapril on long-term mortality in patients with severe left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Patients with LV ejection fractions ≤0.35 and symptoms of congestive heart failure (CHF) were enrolled in the treatment trial, whereas those with no history of overt CHF and taking no treatment directed for LV dysfunction were enrolled in the prevention trial. The baseline clinical characteristics of SOLVD patients were compared to characterize differences between patients in these 2 separate but concurrent trials. From over 70,000 patients screened with LV dysfunction, 4,228 patients were enrolled in the prevention trial and 2,569 patients in the treatment trial. Ischemic heart disease was the primary cause of LV dysfunction in both prevention (83%) and treatment (71%) trial patients. Prior myocardial infarction was present in 80% of the prevention and 66% of the treatment trial patients (p < 0.001). In the prevention trial, infarction was recent (≤6 months) in 27% patients and remote (>6 months) in 57% patients. Treatment trial patients had proportionately more women (20 vs 13%; p < 0.001) and non-Caucasians (20 vs 14%; p < 0.001), as well as the coexisting risk factors of hypertension (42 vs 37%; p < 0.001) and diabetes (26 vs 15%; p < 0.001) than did prevention trial patients. Treatment trial patients were more likely to have the clinical signs associated with CHF and had a lower mean LV ejection fraction (0.25 ± 0.07 vs 0.28 ± 0.06, p < 0.001) than prevention trial patients. Clinical characteristics of patients in both trials were influenced by the gender and race of enrolled patients. Similarly, coronary artery bypass surgery was performed less often in women and non-Caucasians. Thus, the baseline database of patients enrolled in the SOLVD trials demonstrates the varied clinical features associated with severe LV dysfunction and highlights the impact of symptomatic status, gender and race on clinical presentation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)894-900
Number of pages7
JournalAmerican Journal of Cardiology
Volume70
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Oct 1992
Externally publishedYes

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