Vericiguat in patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: insights from the VICTORIA trial

AIMS: We evaluated the relation between baseline and new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and outcomes, and assessed whether vericiguat modified the likelihood of new-onset AF in patients with worsening heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction in VICTORIA. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 5050 patients randomized, 5010 with recorded AF status at baseline were analysed. Patients were classified into three groups: no known AF (n = 2661, 53%), history of AF alone (n = 992, 20%), and AF on randomization electrocardiogram (n = 1357, 27%). Compared with those with no AF, those with history of AF alone had a higher risk of cardiovascular death [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.47] without excess myocardial infarction or stroke; neither type of AF was associated with a higher risk of the primary composite outcome (time to cardiovascular death or first HF hospitalization), HF hospitalizations, or all cause-death. The beneficial effect of vericiguat on the primary composite outcome and its components was evident irrespective of AF status at baseline. Over a median follow-up of 10.8 months, new-onset AF occurred in 6.1% of those with no AF and 18.3% with history of AF alone (P < 0.0001). These events were not influenced by vericiguat treatment (adjusted HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.75-1.16; P = 0.51), but were associated with an increase in the hazard of both primary and secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Atrial fibrillation was present in nearly half of this high-risk population with worsening HF. A history of AF alone at baseline portends an increased risk of cardiovascular death. Neither type of AF affected the beneficial effect of vericiguat. Development of AF post-randomization was associated with an increase in both cardiovascular death and HF hospitalization which was not influenced by vericiguat.