Predictors of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients after stress myocardial perfusion imaging

Abstract

Cardiovascular prognosis in patients under normal stress myocardial perfusion images (MPI) is generally excellent. However, this is not true for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) treated by hemodialysis. This study evaluated prognostic factors of adverse cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients in whom stress MPI was performed. Pharmacological stress MPI was performed in 88 hemodialysis patients, and we retrospectively followed-up for 26 months. Cardiovascular events included cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and unstable angina. Cardiovascular events occurred in 16 patients (18%). Univariate Cox regression analysis revealed that peripheral artery disease (PAD) and parameters of stress MPI were significant predictors of cardiovascular events. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that only PAD (hazard ratio=6.54; P=0.002), and abnormal stress MPI (hazard ratio=8.26; P=0.008) were independent and significant predictors of cardiovascular events. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed better prognosis in patients with normal stress MPI than in patients with abnormal stress MPI (P<0.001, log-rank test). However, in patients with normal stress MPI, cardiovascular events occurred in 10 of the 76 patients (13%). Among patients with normal stress MPI, Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients with no PAD had better prognosis than patients with PAD (P=0.001, log-rank test). In hemodialysis patients, both PAD and stress MPI were powerful cardiovascular predictors. Normal stress MPI alone cannot guarantee good prognosis in terms of cardiovascular events. Consideration of PAD may improve the predictive value of stress MPI in some patients.