Echocardiographic score for prediction of pulmonary hypertension at catheterization: the Daunia Heart Failure Registry.

BACKGROUND: Right heart catheterization (RHC) is recommended by guidelines for the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension, the definition of hemodynamic impairment and responsiveness to drug therapy. However, RHC is an invasive test with associated risk of complications. Noninvasive echocardiographic tools, possibly predictive of pulmonary hypertension at RHC, could be therefore extremely useful. METHODS: Sixty-four consecutive patients with suspected pulmonary hypertension were enrolled in the study and assessed by echocardiography and RHC. Diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension was based on mean pulmonary artery pressure (≥25 mmHg) at RHC. RESULTS: Of 64 consecutive patients enrolled, 77% were diagnosed as having pulmonary hypertension after RHC. On the basis of significant differences between patients with pulmonary hypertension at RHC and those without on echocardiographic assessment, a multiple logistic regression model was constructed to predict the presence of pulmonary hypertension at RHC. The score was calculated using right atrium and ventricular diastolic area, tricuspid regurgitation Vmax, tricuspid regurgitation severity degree and left ventricular ejection fraction. The score area under the curve was therefore 0.786 (P = 0.0001), higher than for tricuspid regurgitation Vmax (P = 0.06). A score value more than 57 was associated with a 93% sensitivity, a 67% specificity, a 91% positive predictive power, a 73% negative predictive power, and an odds ratio 27 (P < 0.001) of pulmonary hypertension at RHC, significant even after correction at multivariable analysis. Accuracy of the prediction model was assessed in a validation cohort with comparable results (P = n.s.). CONCLUSION: A simple noninvasive echocardiographic score can be useful in predicting the diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension at RHC and may be considered for the selection of patients who should undergo or could avoid RHC.

Hospitalization cost reduction with sacubitril-valsartan implementation in a cohort of patients from the Daunia Heart Failure Registry.

INTRODUCTION: Aim of this study was to assess the impact of the introduction of new class of drugs (ARNI: angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor) on hospital related costs in a real world cohort of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). METHODS: Seventy-three consecutive patients with CHF and systolic dysfunction eligible for the treatment with ARNIs from the Daunia Heart Failure Registry were enrolled. Incidence of hospitalizations before and after treatment with ARNI, costs for drug and hospitalization for HF were recorded, indexed per year and compared. RESULTS: Indexed mean number of hospitalizations per year was 0.93 ±â€¯1.70 before and 0.19 ±â€¯0.70 after introduction of ARNI (p < 0.001, -80%), 2.26 ±â€¯1.95 before and 0.38 ±â€¯1.2 after ARNI in the subgroup of patients with at least one hospitalization for HF in the year before treatment with ARNI (p < 0.001, -83%).Mean indexed cost for hospitalization was 2067 ±â€¯3715 euros before and 1847 ±â€¯1549 after ARNI (p n.s., -11%); in the subgroup with at least one hospitalization for HF 5175 ±â€¯4345 before and 2311 ±â€¯2308 after ARNI (p < 0.001, -55%). Cost reduction increased with the number of indexed hospitalization per year before ARNI from 11% to 66%. CONCLUSION: In a real world scenario, treatment with ARNI is associated with lower indexed rates of hospitalizations and hospitalization related costs. Cost reduction increases with at least one indexed hospitalization for heart failure before treatment with ARNI.

Cardiopulmonary exercise test predicts right heart catheterization.

BACKGROUND: Right heart catheterization (RHC) is usually required to confirm the diagnosis of pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). As an invasive test, RHC may be associated with possible complications, so noninvasive parameters able to predict PAH at RHC would be extremely useful. AIM: To ascertain possible correlations between cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and hemodynamic parameters at RHC indicative of pulmonary hypertension (PH). METHODS: Thirty-six consecutive outpatients with suspect of PAH underwent CPET and RHC; the intercept of ventilation (VEint) on the VE vs carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO2 ) and VE/VCO2 slope at CPET and diastolic pressure gradient (DPG), trans-pulmonary pressure gradient (TPG), mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) at RHC were assessed and compared. RESULTS: Ventilation VCO2 slope was directly related to DPG (r: .41, P: .019), TPG (r: .45, P: .01), mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP, r: .36, P: .031), PVR (r: .41, P: .029), VEint and VE/VCO2 slope inversely related to DPG (r: -.63, P < .001), TPG (r: -.67, P < .001), mPAP (r: -.68, P < .001) and PVR (r: -.5, P < .001). CONCLUSION: In patients with suspected PAH, VEint during exercise and the VE/VCO2 slope might provide useful information to predict results of RHC. Their correlations with PVR and with DPG may be helpful in discriminating patients with isolated postcapillary PH from those with combined postcapillary and precapillary.