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Vagal Stimulation in Heart Failure

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Abstract

Heart failure (HF) is accompanied by an autonomic imbalance that is almost always characterized by both increased sympathetic activity and withdrawal of vagal activity. Experimentally, vagal stimulation has been shown to exert profound antiarrhythmic activity and to improve cardiac function and survival in HF models. A open-label pilot clinical study in 32 patients with chronic HF has shown safety and tolerability of chronic vagal stimulation associated with subjective (improved quality of life and 6-min walk test) and objective improvements (reduced left ventricular systolic volumes and improved left ventricular ejection fraction). Three larger clinical studies, including a phase III trial are currently ongoing and will evaluate the clinical role of this new approach.

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Disclosures

Dr. De Ferrari receives fees for his role as a Member of the Steering Committee of the NECTAR-HF trial supported by Boston Scientific. He received compensation from BioControl for his role as a consultant and as a member of the Steering Committee of the CardioFit Multicentre Study until 2009.

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  1. Department of Cardiology, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Viale Golgi, 19, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Gaetano M. De Ferrari

  2. Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

    Gaetano M. De Ferrari

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Correspondence to Gaetano M. De Ferrari.

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Associate Editor Craig Stolen oversaw the review of this article.

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De Ferrari, G.M. Vagal Stimulation in Heart Failure. J. of Cardiovasc. Trans. Res. 7, 310–320 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-014-9540-1

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