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Right ventricular dysfunction as an independent predictor of short‐ and long‐term mortality in patients with heart failure
Author(s) -
Kjaergaard Jesper,
Akkan Dilek,
Iversen Kasper Karmark,
Køber Lars,
TorpPedersen Christian,
Hassager Christian
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
european journal of heart failure
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.149
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1879-0844
pISSN - 1388-9842
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejheart.2007.03.001
Subject(s) - medicine , copd , cardiology , heart failure , ejection fraction , hazard ratio , confounding , adverse effect , confidence interval
Background: The prognostic importance of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in heart failure (HF) has been suggested in patients with severe systolic heart failure. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is a simple echocardiographic measure of RV ejection fraction, but may be affected by co‐existing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Aims: To examine the prognostic information from TAPSE adjusted for the potential confounding effects of co‐existing cardiovascular and COPD in a large series of patients admitted for new onset or worsening HF. Methods and results: Eight hundred and seventeen patients screened for participation in a large clinical trial by trans‐thoracic echocardiography, including measurement of TAPSE, were followed for a median of 4.1 years (maximum 5.5 years). Decreased TAPSE as well as presence of COPD were independently associated with adverse short‐ and long‐term survival, hazard ratio was 0.74 ( p =0.004) for every doubling of TAPSE; and 2.4 ( p =0.0001) for the presence of COPD. Conclusion: Decreased RV systolic function as estimated by TAPSE is associated with increased mortality in patients admitted for HF, and is independent of other risk factors in HF including left ventricular function. The co‐existence of COPD is also associated with an adverse prognosis independent of the RV systolic function.