Matsukawa R, et al. – This sub–analysis investigated the efficacy of early initiated tolvaptan therapy in reducing hospital stay and rate of in–hospital death in elderly patients with congestive heart failure. This study reported a shorter hospital stay and reduced mortality consequent to early use of tolvaptan among elderly heart failure patients and corroborated tolvaptan's safety in these subjects as well.

Methods

• Among the 102 patients enrolled in a previous study performed by researchers, retrospective analysis was done, in this study, of the elderly patients >75 years of age treated with tolvaptan.
• Researchers analyzed the efficacy of early tolvaptan use in these patients.
• Thereafter, they compared the efficacy and the safety of all tolvaptan use between elderly and younger patients.

Results

• Findings demonstrated that there were no significant differences in the baseline clinical parameters between the early- and late-tolvaptan-use elderly patients, except for the serum blood nitrogen urea.
• However, researchers observed that the early use of tolvaptan was also associated with the earlier initiation of ambulatory cardiac rehabilitation, a shorter hospital stay, and a lower rate of in-hospital death in elderly congestive heart failure patients.
• Furthermore, data revealed that there were no significant differences in the occurrence of worsening renal failure and hypernatremia.