The power of optimal medical therapy using angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor in acute decompensated heart failure, sparing a critical patient open-heart surgery with a device therapy: a case report

Background Timely use of Sacubitril/Valsartan has the potential to significantly improve cardiac function and dramatically reduce secondary mitral regurgitation (MR) severity even in patients presenting with acute decompensated heart failure (HF), not only in compensated chronic HF patients. The outstanding impact of echocardiography is obvious in monitoring improvement of cardiac function and MR severity in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Case summary We report a relevant case of an elderly patient who presented with acute decompensated HF and severe MR. He was symptomatic despite being on maximally tolerated doses of ACEI, beta-blockers, and diuretics. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) improved from 15% to 35% 2 weeks following initiation of Sacubitril/Valsartan during second HF hospitalization. There was a dramatic improvement of patient’s symptoms from New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class IV to NYHA I. N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide reduced from 9000 pg/mL to 800 pg/mL. Coronary angiography depicted three-vessel coronary artery disease. The patient was advised to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery with mitral valve repair, then followed by implantation of a cardiac resynchronization therapy-defibrillator device (CRT-D) if no LV function improvement is observed after revascularization. The electrocardiogram showed Q waves in inferior leads with QRSd ≥ 125 ms, hence a good candidate for CRT. Following an elective percutaneous coronary intervention, LVEF further improved to 50%. The patient became asymptomatic with preserved LVEF on follow-up for 18 months later. Discussion This case report documents the swift echocardiographic and symptom improvement in a decompensated end-stage HF patient when Sacubitril/Valsartan initiated during acute setting.