Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesResearch article
Impact of cannabidiol on myocardial recovery in patients with acute myocarditis: primary results of the ARCHER study
- multicentre international double-blind placebo-controlled phase 2 study
- randomly assigned
Authors' conclusion
In mild-to-moderate acute myocarditis, treatment with pharmaceutically manufactured cannabidiol was not associated with a statistically significant change in myocardial ECV or GLS, although a trend towards reduction in ECV was observed. In addition, improvement in other potential markers of myocardial recovery, including a significant reduction in LV mass, was seen in the active treatment group. Further investigation of the therapeutic potential of this therapy in inflammatory cardiac conditions is warranted.
Study context
- Population
- Patients within 10 days of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) confirmed diagnosis of acute myocarditisall randomized patients completed the study with no loss to follow-up
- Participants
- 109 patients
- Comparison
- pharmaceutically produced oral cannabidiol or placebo
- activen = 56
- placebon = 53
- Outcome
- Extracellular volume (ECV) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) measured by CMR
- Follow-up
- Week 12
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
active
33.6 ml
Extracellular volume (ECV) · global longitudinal strain (GLS) −16.0%
placebo
37.3 ml
ECV · GLS −15.9%
Further findings
g
| Outcome | active | placebo | difference (CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Left ventricular mass | 121.1 | 130.3 | −9.2 (−16.4 to −2.1) | P = 0.0117 | |
| −20−10010Difference (linear scale) |
Baseline characteristics
- mean ECV
- 38.9 ± 10.9 ml
- GLS
- −15.3 ± 3.6%
- Left-ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF)
- 60.6 ± 9.9%
Left-atrial end-systolic volume (LAESV)
- significantly reduced in the active group
- −8.1 ml; P = .0376
LVEDV
- reduction failed to reach significance
- −7.4 ml; P = .098
Original publication
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it