The effectiveness of a fixed double combination (bisoprolol, perindopril) in patients with stable coronary artery disease and arterial hypertension different degrees

The aim – to evaluate the hypotensive and antianginal efficacy of a fixed double combination (bisoprolol, perindopril) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and concomitant hypertension.Materials and methods. The study involved 170 cardiologists from various regions of Ukraine. Each researcher selected 15 consecutive outpatients with coronary heart disease who came for a regular visit. Inclusion criteria: age over 18 years old, blood pressure (BP) above 140/90 mm Hg, heart rate (HR) above 60 bpm, bisoprolol as part of antihypertensive therapy in the last ≥ 3 months. The study included two visits. At each visit, the patient’s objective status was assessed; an individual questionnaire with office systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, ECG data, clinical manifestations of CAD, risk factors, lifestyle features, concomitant diseases, current therapy was filled out. Medication adherence was also evaluated, the therapy was corrected if necessary and the presence of side effects and adverse events was registered. We analyzed the levels of BP and HR at the beginning and at the end of the study, the percentage of achievement of the recommended levels of these indicators, the antianginal efficacy of treatment and adherence to therapy in patients with CAD and different degrees of hypertension after 4 weeks of treatment.Results and discussion. 2785 patient questionnaires were provided by doctors, 1747 patients were included in substudy. The mean age of the patients was 60.9±10.2 years old, men – 57.1 %, women – 42.9 %. The diagnosis of coronary artery disease was based on: chest pain – 554 (31.7 %), a history of documented myocardial infarction – 935 (53.5 %), coronary ventriculography – 536 (30.7 %), revascularization (CABG/stenting) – 344 (19.8 %) patients. The use of a fixed combination of previously taken drugs (perindopril, bisoprolol) for 4 weeks allows to reduce heart rate and blood pressure effectively (HR ≤ 70 bpm reached 84.9 % of patients, BP ≤ 140/90 mm Hg – 86.9 %), to reduce the number of angina attacks (from 4.48, 4.5 and 4.7 per week at the beginning of the study to 2.4; 2.9 and 2.3 per week in patients with 1, 2 and 3 degrees of hypertension, respectively) and the need for nitroglycerin from from 4.5; 4.9 and 5.9 tab per week up to 2.4; 2.9 and 2.3 tab per week. The most significant absolute decrease of BP and HR was in patients with a more severe degree of hypertension (decrease systolic BP was – 40.8 mm Hg, diastolic BP – 21.4 mm Hg, HR – 21.8 bpm).Conclusions. The study demonstrated that the use of the fixed combination of bisoprolol and perindopril in patients with coronary artery disease and concomitant hypertension (different degrees) helps to improve treatment efficacy, to achieve recommended levels of blood pressure and heart rate, also has a significant antianginal effect (reliable decrease of the number of angina attacks and the need to take nitroglycerin) and increases adherence to therapy.

Why Nicorandil is not Considered to be the First-line Antianginal Drug

According to the results of several short-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs), nicorandil is not inferior in its antianginal efficacy to beta-blockers (BB), calcium channel blockers (CCB) and long-acting nitrates (LAN). At the same time, in some short-term RCTs, as well as in the long-term RCT IONA (2002), it was shown that antianginal efficacy of nicorandil as monotherapy or in combination with other antianginal drugs did not differ from placebo. Ability of nicorandil to reduce the risk of adverse cardiovascular events, demonstrated in the RCT IONA, requires confirmation in a long-term trial with a stronger primary endpoint and concomitant treatment that would meet the current guidelines for the management of patients with chronic coronary syndromes. In this regard, and also taking into account the proven ability of nicorandil to cause gastrointestinal ulcerations, European experts currently consider nicorandil as a drug that is inferior in priority of choice to the first-line antianginal drugs (BB, CCB) and, in some cases, to the second-line drugs (LAN, ivabradine, ranolazine, trimetazidine).

Antianginal Efficacy of Ivabradine in Patients With History of Coronary Revascularization

Although coronary revascularization procedures are widely performed in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), angina is often reported, even after such procedures. This study evaluated the antianginal efficacy and effect of ivabradine treatment on quality of life (QOL) in patients with CAD and history of coronary revascularization. This is a post hoc analysis (926 post-revascularization patients) of a prospective, noninterventional study, which included 2403 patients with CAD and stable angina. The data were recorded at baseline, at 1 month and 4 months after inclusion. After ivabradine administration, mean number of anginal events decreased from 2.2 ± 2.3 (median: 2.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 21.0, range: 21.0) to 0.3 ± 0.6 (median: 0.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 7.0, range: 7.0) times/week ( P < .001), while nitroglycerin consumption decreased from 1.5 ± 2.2 (median: 1.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 20.0, range: 20.0) to 0.1 ± 0.4 times/week (median: 0.0, minimum: 0.0, maximum: 5.0, range: 5.0; P < .001). Quality of life improved at study completion compared to baseline ( P < .001). Ivabradine addition on top of optimal individualized dose of β-blockers is associated with decreased anginal events and improvement in QOL in patients with stable angina and history of coronary revascularization.