Cardiac amyloidosis worsens prognosis in patients with heart failure: findings from the PREVAMIC study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is a common pathology in elderly patients that usually presents as heart failure (HF). However, it is not clear whether CA associated with HF has a worse prognosis compared with HF due to other etiologies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Prospective, observational cohort study that recruited patients ≥65 years of age with HF in 30 Spanish centers. The cohort was divided according to whether the patients had AC or not. Patients were followed for 1 year. RESULTS: A total of 484 patients were included in the analysis. The population was elderly (median 86 years) and 49% were women CA was present in 23.8 % of the included patients. In the CA group, there was a lower prevalence of diabetes mellitus and valvular disease. At one year of follow-up, mortality was significantly more frequent in patients with CA compared to those without (33.0 vs.14.9%, p < 0.001). However, there were no differences between both groups in visits to the emergency room or readmissions. In the multivariate analysis, the variables that were shown to predict all-cause mortality at one year of follow-up were chronic kidney disease (HR 1.75 (1.01-3.05) p 0.045), NT-proBNP levels (HR 2.51 (1.46-4.30) p < 0.001), confusion (HR 2.05 (1.01-4.17), p 0.048), and the presence of CA (HR 1.77 (1.11-2.84), p 0.017). CONCLUSION: The presence of CA in elderly patients with HF is related to a worse prognosis at one year of follow-up. Early diagnosis of the pathology and multidisciplinary management can help improve patient outcomes.

Prevalence and impact on prognosis of right-bundle branch block in patients with acute heart failure: Findings from the RICA registry.

OBJECTIVES: This work aims to determine the prevalence, characteristics, and impact on prognosis of right bundle branch block (RBBB) in a cohort of acute heart failure (AHF) patients. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed 3,638 AHF patients included in the RICA registry (National Heart Failure Registry of the Spanish Internal Medicine Society). We independently analyzed the relationship between baseline and clinical characteristics and the presence of RBBB as well as the potential impact of RBBB on 1-year all-cause mortality and a composite endpoint of 90-day post-discharge hospitalization or death. RESULTS: The prevalence of RBBB was 10.9%. Patients with RBBB were older, a higher proportion were male, had more pulmonary comorbidities, had higher left ventricular ejection fraction values, and had worse functional status. There were no differences in risk for patients with RBBB, with an adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for 1-year mortality of 1.05 (0.83-1.32), and for the composite endpoint of 90-day post-discharge hospitalization or death of 0.97 (0.74-1.25). These results were consistent on the sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Few patients with AHF present with RBBB, which is consistently associated with advanced age, male sex, pulmonary comorbidities, preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, and worse functional status. Nonetheless, after considering these factors, RBBB in AHF patients is not associated with worse outcomes.

Hemoconcentration as a prognostic factor after hospital discharge in acute heart failure in the RICA registry. / Hemoconcentración como predictor de supervivencia al año de ingreso por insuficiencia cardiaca aguda en el registro RICA.

OBJECTIVE: Several studies have reported that a higher degree of hemoconcentration in patients admitted for the treatment of acute heart failure (HF) constitutes a favorable prognostic factor in the year following the index episode. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the highest degree of hemoconcentration at 3 months after admission for HF is also a prognostic factor for mortality and/or readmission in the 12 months after admission. PATIENTS AND METHOD: The hemoconcentration group was the upper quartile of the sample distributed according to hemoglobin increase at month 3 after discharge with respect to hemoglobin at the time of admission for HF in a multicenter prospective cohort of 1,659 subjects with HF. RESULTS: The mean follow-up until the first event was 294 days, and a total of 487 deaths and 1,125 readmissions were recorded. The hemoconcentration group had a lower risk of mortality or readmission for any cause (RR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.51-1.09 and RR=0.86, 95% CI: 0.70-1.05), although statistical significance was lost after multivariate analysis, while it was retained for other factors with recognized negative impact on the prognosis of patients with HF, such as age and functional class. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of hemoconcentration at 3 months after admission for HF is not prognostic of readmission or death in the subsequent year.

Metabolic and antihypertensive effects of nifedipine in hypertensive patients.

We studied the effects of nifedipine on blood pressure and on clinical and analytical parameters in hypertensive patients. Seven male and eight female subjects (mean age of 46.27 +/- 5.38 years, range of 41-56 years) with essential arterial hypertension were given nifedipine (20 mg b.i.d.) for 3 months. Before and after treatment, history, blood pressure, and biochemical values were recorded [blood: Na, K, Ca, creatinine, uric acid, triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, antidiuretic hormone (ADH), and aldosterone; urine: Na, K, Ca, creatinine, ADH, aldosterone, and percentage fraction of Na, K, and Ca excreted]. After 3 months of treatment, we found (a) significant decreases in systolic (147 +/- 18 vs. 166 +/- 16 mm Hg, p less than 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (90 +/- 8 vs. 107 +/- 8 mm Hg, p less than 0.0007), triglycerides (107 +/- 47 vs. 120 +/- 49 mg/dl, p less than 0.0007), and cholesterol (236 +/- 4 vs. 257 +/- 44 mg/dl, p less than 0.00075) in blood, and in K excretion (50 +/- 19 vs. 46 +/- 19 mEq/g of creatinine, p less than 0.0007) and excreted fraction of K (49 +/- 6% vs. 8 +/- 5%, p less than 0.0012) in urine; (b) significant increases in HDL cholesterol (65 +/- 13 vs. 58 +/- 13 mg/dl, p less than 0.001) in blood, and in Na (115 +/- 73 vs. 109 +/- 69 mEq/g of creatinine, p less than 0.0007) in urine; and (c) no significant change in the remaining biochemical parameters, or in heart rate. Secondary effects included flushing (34%), headache (20%), ankle swelling (17%), dizziness (13%), palpitations (4%), and pruritus (4%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)