STRONG-HF
Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy of Rapid Optimization, helped by NT-proBNP testinG, of Heart Failure therapies
Patient / Population Intervention / Exposure Comparison Outcome
In 1,078 patients recently hospitalised for acute heart failure, rapid up-titration of guideline-directed therapy with close follow-up reduced 180-day death or heart-failure readmission compared with usual care.
N
1,078
Design
Multinational open-label RCT, stopped early for benefit
Endpoint
180-day all-cause death or heart-failure readmission
Relevance
2
Result15.2% with high-intensity care vs 23.3% with usual care (adjusted RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.50-0.86; P=0.0021).
Mebazaa A, et al. Lancet. 2022;400(10367):1938-1952. 10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02076-1
Discussion & critique
Open-label design and intensive follow-up limit generalisability to routine care, and the primary endpoint was driven largely by HF readmission. Established rapid post-discharge up-titration of GDMT, reinforcing guideline emphasis on early optimisation.