Key result
Vagus nerve stimulation fails to demonstrate clinical efficacy for HF in large randomized trials.
Why the study?
Main trials of vagus nerve stimulation in HF with reduced ejection fraction have yielded conflicting findings, questioning its clinical efficacy despite encouraging preclinical data.
Does vagus nerve stimulation improve outcomes in patients with heart failure?
Systematic Review
Does vagus nerve stimulation improve outcomes in patients with heart failure?
Despite promising preclinical data, clinical trials of vagus nerve stimulation in heart failure have yielded conflicting results, highlighting the need for further research on optimal dosing and patient selection.
Autonomic imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems contributes to the progression of chronic heart failure (HF). Preclinical studies have demonstrated that various neuromodulation strategies may exert beneficial cardioprotective effects in preclinical models of HF. Based on these encouraging experimental data, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has been assessed in patients with HF with a reduced ejection fraction. Nevertheless, the main trials conducted thus far have yielded conflicting findings, questioning the clinical efficacy of VNS in this context. This review will therefore focus on the role of the autonomic nervous system in HF pathophysiology and VNS therapy, highlighting the potential reasons behind the discrepancy between preclinical and clinical studies.
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Wu et al. (2023) conducted a systematic review in Heart failure. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) was evaluated. Vagus nerve stimulation yielded encouraging results in preclinical and pilot studies for heart failure, but large randomized clinical trials have failed to demonstrate significant clinical efficacy.
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