ABSTRACTBackgroundTricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common occurrence in patients with heart failure (HF), and its role in disease progression has gained attention in recent years. Although TR can worsen clinical outcomes in HF patients, the impact of gender, racial, and socioeconomic factors remains largely unexplored. With growing evidence supporting the role of percutaneous interventions for the treatment of significant TR, understanding these disparities is more crucial than ever.MethodsData were extracted from the National Inpatient and National Readmission 2016–2020 Databases. We used ICD‐10 code I50 to identify the patients primarily admitted for HF and subdivided the cohort into two groups based on the presence or absence of TR. We performed multivariable logistic regression analysis to determine odds of the in‐hospital mortality and multivariable Cox regression analysis to assess the 30‐ and 90‐day hospital readmission in HF patients with and without TR. All the analyses were adjusted for age, gender, insurance status, Charlson comorbidity index, and hospital characteristics. STATA 16 software was used for analysis.ResultsThere was no difference in the in‐hospital mortality among HF patients with and without TR (OR: 1.04, 95% CI 0.94–1.16, p = 0.442) except in certain subgroups of HF patients. HF patients with TR were 6% more likely to have HF‐specific readmission in 30 days (HR: 1.06, 95% CI 1.00–1.13, p = 0.044) and 9% more likely to have HF‐specific readmission in 90 days (HR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.03–1.15, p = 0.002). Subgroup analysis revealed significant gender, racial, and socioeconomic disparities in the in‐hospital mortality and the readmission outcomes of HF patients with TR compared to those without TR.ConclusionIn our population‐based survey analysis, we observed significant gender, racial, and socioeconomic disparities in the clinical outcomes of HF patients with TR compared to those without TR.
Impact of Tricuspid Regurgitation on the Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Heart Failure -- United States Population-Based Survey Analysis
Background: Tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is a common occurrence in patients with heart failure (HF), and its role in disease progression has gained attention in recent years. While TR can worsen the clinical outcomes in HF patients, its impact on gender, racial and socioeconomic factors remains largely unexplored. With growing evidence supporting the role of percutaneous interventions for the treatment of significant TR, understanding these disparities is more crucial than ever. Methods: Data was extracted from the National Inpatient and National Readmission 2016 - 2020 Databases. We used ICD-10 code I50 to identify the patients primarily admitted for HF and subdivided the cohort into two groups based on presence or absence of TR. We performed multivariable Logistic regression analysis to determine odds of in-hospital mortality and multivariable Cox regression analysis to assess 30- and 90-day hospital readmission in HF patients with and without TR. All the analyses were adjusted for age, gender, insurance status, Charlson co-morbidity index (CCI) and hospital characteristics. STATA 16 software was used for analysis. Results: There was no difference in in-hospital mortality among HF patients with and without TR (OR: 1.04, 95% CI 0.94 – 1.16, p = 0.442) except in certain subgroups of HF patients. HF patients with TR were 6% more likely to have HF-specific readmission in 30-days (HR: 1.06, 95% CI 1.00 – 1.13, p = 0.044) and 9% more likely to have HF-specific readmission in 90-days (HR: 1.09, 95% CI 1.03 – 1.15, p = 0.002). Subgroup analysis revealed significant gender, racial and socioeconomic disparities in in-hospital mortality and readmission outcomes of HF patients with TR compared to those without TR. Conclusion: In our population-based survey analysis, we observed significant gender, racial and socioeconomic disparities in clinical outcomes of HF patients with TR compared to those without TR.
Regional left ventricular function does not predict survival in ischaemic cardiomyopathy after cardiac surgery
Objectives To define the prognostic contribution of global and regional left ventricular (LV) function measurements in patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy randomised to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) with (n=501) or without (n=499) surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR). Methods Novel multivariable methods to analyse global and regional LV systolic function were used to better formulate prediction models for long-term mortality following CABG with or without SVR in the entire cohort of 1000 randomised SVR hypothesis patients. Key clinical variables were included in the analysis. Regional function was classified according to the discreteness of anteroapical hypokinesia and akinesia into those most likely to benefit from SVR, those least likely and those felt to have intermediate likelihood of benefit from SVR. Results The most prognostic clinical variables identified in multivariable models include creatinine, LV end-systolic volume index (ESVI), age and NYHA (New York Heart Association) class. Addition of LV ejection fraction, LV end-diastolic volume index and regional function assessment did not contribute additional power to the model. Subgroup analysis based on regional function did not identify a cohort in which SVR improved mortality. Conclusions ESVI is the single parameter of LV function most predictive of mortality in patients with LV systolic dysfunction following CABG with or without SVR in multivariable models that include all key clinical and LV systolic function parameters. Assessment of regional cardiac function does not enhance prediction of mortality nor identify a subgroup for which SVR improves mortality. These results do not support elective addition of LV reconstruction surgery in patients undergoing CABG. Trial registration number NCT00023595.
Influence of Diabetes Mellitus on Prognostic Utility of Imaging of Myocardial Sympathetic Innervation in Heart Failure Patients
Background— Patients with diabetes mellitus have accelerated progression of heart failure and often have impaired cardiac sympathetic innervation. The present study examines the implications for heart failure progression of cardiac sympathetic denervation, assessed by I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine imaging, in diabetic compared with nondiabetic subjects. Methods and Results— We evaluated 343 diabetic and 618 nondiabetic subjects with New York Heart Association class II or III heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% over a median follow-up of 17 months. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the influence of clinical variables, b-type natriuretic peptide, plasma norepinephrine, left ventricular ejection fraction, and I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine imaging parameters on time to a heart failure event. The late heart-to-mediastinum (H/M) ratio and the interaction term of diabetes mellitus with the prospectively selected late H/M ratio <1.6 were independent predictors of heart failure progression, providing incremental prognostic information beyond that available from all other variables. In diabetic subjects, late H/M ratio <1.6 was associated with a 2.99-fold greater 2-year rate of heart failure progression (33.5%) than late H/M ratio ≥1.6 (11.2% event rate). Conclusions— The combination of diabetes mellitus and I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine H/M ratio is an independent predictor of heart failure progression, confirming the high risk of diabetic subjects with impaired cardiac sympathetic nerve function. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov . Unique identifier: NCT00126438 and NCT00126425.