Relationship between venous congestion and systemic hypoperfusion in cardiorenal syndrome

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Abstract Background Renal impairment takes a relevant role in worsening clinical outcomes and increasing mortality risk in patients with heart failure (HF). In this context, the interplay between venous congestion and systemic perfusion in the pathogenesis of cardiorenal syndrome is currently a matter of extensive debate1. Purpose To investigate the relationship between renal function and hemodynamic variables, as the cardiac index and right atrial pressure, in a broad spectrum of HF patients undergoing right heart catheterization, as part of their pulmonary hypertension (PH) diagnostic work-up. Patients and methods From 1st September 2005 until 31st October 2019, hemodynamic data from 286 consecutive patients were collected, of whom 267 had available plasmatic creatinine values. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated by using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula. The overall study population was stratified in no PH group, pre-capillary PH group and post-capillary PH group, on the basis of the available hemodynamic values of mean pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary artery wedge pressure. Results Of the overall population, 46.1% of them were male, the mean age at the right heart catheterization was 65.5±13.7 years, and the mean eGFR value was 70.0±0.2 mL/min/1.73 m2. On the basis of hemodynamic parameters, 71 patients constituted the no PH group, 107 the pre-capillary PH group, and 63 the post-capillary PH group. Post-capillary PH patients were significantly older than both no PH and pre-capillary PH subjects (69.4±11.7 years; 61.2±16.7 years and 65.7±12.9 years respectively, p=0.003). eGFR was significantly lower in the post-capillary PH group, compared to both no PH group (63.1±22.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 73.0±23.9 mL/min/1.73 m2, p=0.029) and pre-capillary PH group (63.1±22.8 mL/min/1.73 m2 vs. 71.6±26.6 mL/min/1.73 m2, p=0.041). In post-capillary PH group, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant correlation between eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and both reduced cardiac index (Odds ratio [OR] 0.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.00 to 0.72, p=0.027) and right atrial pressure (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.57 to 0.99, p=0.039), compared to no PH group and pre-capillary PH group. Conclusions A significant association between renal impairment and both low systemic perfusion and venous congestion, was found in patients with post-capillary PH, rather than in other hemodynamic subsets. Further investigations are needed to disentangle the impact of the both sides of circulation on renal function, in different hemodynamic phenotypes. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.