Abstract
BACKGROUND: Acute heart failure (AHF) is a common and severe condition associated with high morbidity and mortality. Carperitide, a recombinant human atrial natriuretic peptide, has been widely used in Japan for managing AHF. However, its effectiveness in improving clinical outcomes such as mortality rates remains unclear, with conflicting evidence from studies. METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on studies comparing carperitide with placebo in AHF patients. Six studies including randomized and observational studies involving 30,665 patients were included, with primary outcomes being in-hospital mortality, heart failure-related mortality, and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels at 24 h. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel method for dichotomous outcomes and inverse variance for continuous outcomes. RESULTS: The meta-analysis found no significant difference in heart failure-related mortality (RR: 0.81; 95 % CI: 0.45-1.45) between carperitide and placebo groups. Following resolution of heterogeneity, a significantly higher in-hospital mortality was found in the carperitide group compared to placebo (RR: 1.16, 95 % CI: 1.07 to 1.27). However, ANP levels were significantly higher in the carperitide group (MD: 10.60; 95 % CI: 4.58-16.61) at 24 h. CONCLUSION: Carperitide increases ANP levels in patients with acute heart failure but does not reduce heart failure related mortality and is associated with higher in-hospital mortality. These findings suggest that its clinical benefits are limited, and safety concerns remain. Further high-quality trials are needed to better define its role, optimal patient selection, and long-term outcomes.