Prognostic value of echocardiographic data in chronic heart failure patients

Abstract

Background and Aims : Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common clinical syndrome worldwide, charasterised with high hospitalization and mortality. Echocardiography plays an important role in the diagnosis of HF. The aim of this study was evaluation of echocardiographic data and determine their prognostic significance in patients with different severity chronic HF.Results: The data was analysed among HF functional class, outcome, RVDD and EF quartiles. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistics 16.0. After 6 months follow up we investigated disease outcome. 10 patients died, from which 8 cases were cardiovascular (CV) mortality. A comparative analysis showed statistically significant increased level of RVDD (p <0.005) and RA (p<0.042) in mortality group, decreased level of total protein (p <0.000), albumin (p <0.000), total (p <0.012), LDL (p <0.039) and HDL (p <0.004) cholesterol, inflammatory markers ( MPO, hs-CRP) were statistically elevated. The association of EF with the disease outcome was not found.Conclusions: In chronic heart failure patients from the echocardiographic data of cardiac functional and structural characteristics, the right ventricular diastolic diameter and right atrium is an indicator of the poor outcome with increased systemic inflammatory parameters and protein-energy malnutrition. Background and Aims : Heart failure (HF) is one of the most common clinical syndrome worldwide, charasterised with high hospitalization and mortality. Echocardiography plays an important role in the diagnosis of HF. The aim of this study was evaluation of echocardiographic data and determine their prognostic significance in patients with different severity chronic HF. Results: The data was analysed among HF functional class, outcome, RVDD and EF quartiles. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS statistics 16.0. After 6 months follow up we investigated disease outcome. 10 patients died, from which 8 cases were cardiovascular (CV) mortality. A comparative analysis showed statistically significant increased level of RVDD (p <0.005) and RA (p<0.042) in mortality group, decreased level of total protein (p <0.000), albumin (p <0.000), total (p <0.012), LDL (p <0.039) and HDL (p <0.004) cholesterol, inflammatory markers ( MPO, hs-CRP) were statistically elevated. The association of EF with the disease outcome was not found. Conclusions: In chronic heart failure patients from the echocardiographic data of cardiac functional and structural characteristics, the right ventricular diastolic diameter and right atrium is an indicator of the poor outcome with increased systemic inflammatory parameters and protein-energy malnutrition.