Effects of Qishen Yiqi dropping pills plus conventional Western medicine on cardiac function and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure

Aim To assess the impact of combining Qishen Yiqi dropping pills (QSYQ) with conventional Western medicine on the cardiac function and quality of life in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods This was a randomized controlled trial (RCT), and 120 patients with CHF were recruited and randomly divided into the control group (receiving conventional Western medicine treatment) and study group (receiving QSYQ and conventional Western medicine treatment) at 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome was clinical efficacy, and the secondary outcomes were cardiac function, exercise tolerance, quality of life, inflammatory markers, and adverse reactions. Results The study group demonstrated a higher total effective rate than the control group (91.67% vs. 70%, p = 0.002). Also, left ventricular end-systolic diameter (LVESD) and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) were reduced, and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was increased in the study group ( p < 0.05). Compared to control group, six-minute walking test (6-MWT) distance was longer, and Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) score and levels of inflammatory markers (IL-6, TNF- α , and hs-CRP) were lower in the study group (all p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the total incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups ( p = 0.542). Conclusion QSYQ combined with conventional Western medicine yielded a notable therapeutic effect on CHF, indicating that QSYQ may be an important adjuvant therapy for CHF patients.