Clinical Value of Heart Qi in the Treatment of Chronic Heart Failure With Depression.

ABSTRACT

Context Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a form of persistent heart failure. If a patient develops depression, it can worsen the severity of heart failure and can lead to adverse outcomes. No researchers have studied the effects of tonic heart qi soup for patients with CHF and depression. Objective: The study intended to evaluate the clinical efficacy of tonic heart qi soup in the treatment of chronic heart failure (CHF) for patients with comorbid depression. Design: The research team performed a prospective randomized controlled trial. Setting: The study took place in the Department of Chinese Medicine at Cangzhou Central Hospital in Cangzhou, Hebei Province, China. Participants: Participants were 120 patients with CHF at the hospital as inpatients or outpatients between January 2016 and January 2019. Intervention The research team divided participants into two groups, with 60 patients each (1) an intervention group, which received conventional Western medical treatment combined with treatment with a commercial tonic heart qi soup and (2) a control group, which received conventional Western medical treatment only. Outcome Measures: The research team measured (1) treatment efficacy, (2) cardiac function, (3) adverse reactions, (4) B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and Ghrelin, and (5) depression. Results: In the intervention group, 55 participants showed significant improvement in the degree of heart failure, for a total effectiveness rate of 91.67%, which was significantly higher than that of the control group (P = .000). The intervention group had 10 participants in class II, 18 in class III, and 22 in class IV. Among them, 28 participants improved, indicating significantly better outcomes than those of the control group. The intervention group's BNP levels, at 1031.58 ± 118.83 pg/ml, and ghrelin levels, at 481.46 ± 57.53%, were significantly lower than those of the control group. No liver- or renal-function damage, insomnia, or significant adverse reactions occurred for either group. The intervention group's total incidence rate for adverse reactions, at 1.67%, was significantly lower than that of the control group, at 11.67% (P = .000) and also had a higher total effective rate in reducing depression, at 86.67%, compared to that of the control group, at 43.33%. Conclusions: Heart Qi Tonic Tang, as an adjunctive therapy, significantly improved outcomes for CHF patients with depression. It effectively reduced heart failure symptoms, with minimal adverse reactions and increased patient comfort and compliance.