Interpreting the African American Heart Failure Trial(A-HEFT)

ABSTRACT

The African American Heart Failure Trial (A-HeFT) found that African American patients with advanced heart failure fared better if the fixed-dose combination of isosorbide dinitrate and hydralazine was added to their regimen, which for most of them already included an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), a beta-blocker, and a diuretic (N Engl J Med 2004; 351:2049–2057). This placebo-controlled trial was the first to evaluate a therapy in a specific racial group, and it points the way to a more individualized approach to heart failure therapy.