Global trial demonstrates some benefits of flu shots for heart failure patients

People with heart failure who received an annual flu shot had lower rates of pneumonia and hospitalization on a year-round basis and a reduction in major cardiovascular events during peak flu season, in a new study. However, the trial did not meet its primary endpoint as patients who received the flu vaccine showed no significant reduction in rates of major cardiovascular events on a year-round basis during the study's three-year follow-up period.