Initiation and long-term use of tolvaptan for patients with worsening heart failure through hospital and clinic cooperation

Worsening heart failure (WHF) has a negative impact on the prognosis of patients with heart failure. Adequate management of non-hospitalized episodes of WHF, regarded as "outpatient WHF", may reduce the frequency of emergent/urgent hospitalization for acute heart failure; thus, the patients' cardiac parameters return to their clinical baseline. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of tolvaptan initiation during planned hospitalization of patients with "outpatient WHF" through hospital and clinic cooperation. The data from 28 patients with outpatient WHF referred by general practitioners to hospital were assessed. Tolvaptan administration was initiated during planned hospitalization and continued in the clinics. Patients were followed-up for 12 months. None of the patients required withdrawal of tolvaptan due to adverse effects. During the follow-up period, the loop diuretic dosage significantly decreased. There were significant favorable changes in the levels of serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate, natriuretic peptide and body weight. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that the cardiac death- and HF-related hospitalization-free survival rates were significantly higher among the patients who were administered tolvaptan for the outpatient WHF than the propensity score-matched patients who were administered tolvaptan for acute heart failure requiring emergent/urgent hospitalization. In conclusion, tolvaptan may be safe and effective for the long-term management of outpatient WHF through hospital and clinic cooperation.