Clinical Trials in Congestive Heart Failure: Why Do Studies Report Conflicting Results?

Editorials1 July 1988Clinical Trials in Congestive Heart Failure: Why Do Studies Report Conflicting Results?Milton Packer, MDMilton Packer, MDAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-109-1-3 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptAs subscribers to peer-reviewed medical journals, we commonly read reports about advances in the treatment of acute and chronic diseases. Some reports describe highly favorable results and are enthusiastic about the future role of the new treatment; others discern no therapeutic benefit and raise questions about the usefulness of the new drug. Frequently, such divergent opinions concern the same therapeutic agent. Why should studies using the same drug administered to patients with the same disease differ so markedly in their conclusions about the drug's efficacy?In their review of controlled clinical trials in chronic heart failure in this issue, Marantz...References1. Marantz P, Alderman M, and Tobin J. Diagnostic heterogeneity in clinical trials of treatment for congestive heart failure. Ann Intern Med. 1988;109:55-61. LinkGoogle Scholar2. Packer M, Meller J, Medina N, Gorlin R, and Herman M. Importance of left ventricular chamber size in determining the response to hydralazine in severe chronic heart failure. N Engl J Med. 1980; 303:250-5. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Packer M, Lee W, Medina N, Yushak M, and Kessler P. Identification of patients with severe heart failure most likely to fail long-term therapy with converting-enzyme inhibitors [Abstract]. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1986;7:181A. Google Scholar4. Likoff M, Weber K, and Andrews V. Amrinone in the treatment of chronic heart failure. 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Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Milton Packer, MDAffiliations: Mount Sinai School of Medicine New York, NY 10029 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byReporting and Interpreting of ResultsReporting and Interpreting of ResultsAssessment of Heart FailureAssessment of Heart FailureReporting and Interpreting of ResultsThe management of heart failure: A matter of definition?Cardiac failure: Symptoms and functional statusTissue and plasma angiotensin converting enzyme and the response to ACE inhibitor drugs.Drugs for Heart FailureMeta-Analysis: Whither Narrative Review?Treatment of Congestive Heart Failure with Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors 1 July 1988Volume 109, Issue 1Page: 3-5KeywordsClinical trial reportingClinical trialsDrugsForecastingHeart failureLongitudinal studies ePublished: 1 December 2008 Issue Published: 1 July 1988 PDF downloadLoading ...