Heart failure (HF) remains a major global cause of mortality, morbidity, and hospitalizations. Over the past two decades, the management of chronic HF has seen significant improvements with the introduction of novel diagnostic procedures and pharmacological therapies. However, achieving a clinically significant improvement in functional capacity and quality of life (QoL) might be more important to patients than simply prolonging life. HF negatively affects health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in physical, mental, and social domains. Consequently, HF patients experience impaired QoL even when compared to individuals with other debilitating chronic conditions. In contemporary times, many HF patients value the enhancement of HRQoL through treatment as highly as extending their lifespan.

This editorial discusses the findings of a recently published work that aims to review the improvement in quality of life with sacubitril/valsartan in HF patients with reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFrEF/HFpEF) based on prospective clinical trials. The authors conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies published until July 2021. A total of six clinical trials and 16,854 HF patients were included in the analysis. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire-Clinical Summary Score (KCCQ-CSS). Secondary outcomes included scores in other domains of the KCCQ, occurrence of serious adverse events (SAEs), and overall mortality.

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