AP01 Heart Failure (AHF) Study

You likely can't join if

• 1. Women of child-bearing potential (i.e., pre-menopausal women) and breast-feeding women without documentation of a negative blood pregnancy assay within 12 h prior to randomization. 2. Patients with Heart Failure NYHA I and II. 3. Known active myocarditis, obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, congenital heart disease, restrictive cardiomyopathy, constrictive pericarditis, uncorrected clinically significant primary valvular disease. 4. Serum lactate level below 18.0 mg/dl < 1.99 mmol/L. 5. Clinical diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome meeting any 2 of the following 3 criteria: • Prolonged chest pain at rest, or an accelerated pattern of angina • Electrocardiogram changes indicative of ischemia or myocardial injury defined as: a new ST elevation at the J point of two anatomically contiguous leads with the cut-off points: ≥0.2 mV in men ≥40 years (>0.25 mV in men <40 years) or ≥0.15 mV in women in leads V2-V3 and/or ≥0.1 mV in other leads; or ST depression and T wave changes. New horizontal or down sloping ST depression ≥0.05 mV in two contiguous leads; and/or new T inversion ≥0.3 mV in two contiguous leads. • Serum troponin >3 times upper limit of normal. 6. Terminal illness other than congestive HF with expected survival <180 days. 7. Clinically suspected acute mechanical cause of ADHF (e.g., papillary muscular rupture). The diagnosis need not be confirmed by imaging or cardiac catheterization. 8. Body temperature ≥ 38°C just prior to randomization. 9. Acute or chronic respiratory disorder (e.g., severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or primary pulmonary hypertension sufficient to cause dyspnea at rest, which may interfere with the ability to interpret dyspnea assessments or hemodynamic measurements. 10. Creatinine clearance <25 mL/min/1.73m² (as measured by the MDRD formula) at the time of screening. 11. Anemia (hemoglobin <9 g/dL or a hematocrit <25%) 12. Patients with severe hepatic impairment. 13. Current drug abuse or chronic alcoholism sufficient to impair participation and compliance to the study protocol. 14. Known vasculitis, active infective endocarditis, or suspected infections, e.g., pneumonia, acute hepatitis, systemic inflammatory syndrome, or sepsis. 15. Participation in an investigational clinical drug study within 30 days prior to randomization. 16. Males and females aged < 18 years. 17. Missing informed consent. 18. Any condition that, in the Investigator's opinion, makes the patient unsuitable for study participation.