No abstract

No abstract

Background: Although in clinical practice heart failure (HF) patients are classified using left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), this categorization is insufficient for prognosis, especially when LVEF is preserved or there is a concomitant right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. We hypothesized that a combined noninvasive evaluation of LV forward flow, filling pressure, and RV function would be better than LVEF in predicting all-cause mortality of hospitalized patients with HF. Methods: Transthoracic echocardiographic examinations of 603 patients hospitalized with HF were analyzed. In a subsample of 200 patients with HF, LV stroke volume index, LV filling pressure estimation, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and systolic pulmonary artery pressure were combined to determine 4 hemodynamic profiles: normal flow-normal pressure, normal flow-high pressure, low flow without RV dysfunction, and low flow with RV dysfunction profile. This model was then applied in a validation cohort (n=403). Results: Prognosis worsened from the normal flow-normal pressure profile to the low flow with right ventricular dysfunction profile. At the multivariate survival analysis, the model showed independent high risk-stratification capability ( P <0.001), even in subgroups of patients with LVEF < or ≥50% ( P =0.011 and P <0.001, respectively) and < or ≥40% ( P =0.044 and P <0.001, respectively). LVEF and HF classification based on LVEF did not predict outcome. Conclusions: Echocardiographic-derived profiling of LV forward flow, filling pressure, and RV function allowed categorization of patients hospitalized with HF and predicted all-cause mortality independently of LVEF. This model is based on conventional echocardiography, is easy to apply, and is, therefore, suggested for clinical practice.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract