Preoperative left ventricular dysfunction predisposes to postoperative acute kidney injury and long-term mortality.

BACKGROUND: Both preoperative left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) and acute kidney injury (AKI) in the postoperative period are independently associated with mortality. We evaluated the prevalence and prognostic implications of AKI in a cohort of vascular surgery patients. METHODS: Before vascular surgery, 1,158 patients were screened for LVD. Development of AKI, defined by RIFLE classification, was detected by serial serum creatinine measurements at days 1 to 3 after surgery. Primary end point was cardiovascular mortality during a median follow-up of 2.2 years (interquartile range [IQR] 1.0-4.0). RESULTS: LVD was present in 558 patients (48%), and 120 patients (10%) developed postoperative AKI. Subjects with LVD developed postoperative AKI more often than patients without LVD (8% vs. 13%, p=0.01). Patients were categorized as (i) no LVD, without AKI (n=551, 48%), (ii) LVD without AKI (n=487, 42%), (iii) no LVD, with AKI (n=49, 4%) and (iv) LVD with AKI (n=71/6%). Patients with LVD prior to surgery who developed postoperative AKI had the highest cardiovascular mortality risk (hazard ratio = 4.9; 95% confidence interval, 2.9-8.2). CONCLUSION: Patients with preoperatively LVD have an increased risk of developing AKI after vascular surgery. The occurrence of AKI in patients with LVD has an incremental predictive value toward cardiovascular mortality risk during long-term follow-up.

Influence of left ventricular dysfunction (diastolic versus systolic) on long-term prognosis in patients with versus without diabetes mellitus having elective peripheral arterial surgery.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) are often coexistent and invariably associated with increased mortality. Data on long-term prognosis of "isolated" diastolic LVD in diabetics are lacking; therefore, we evaluated these prognostic implications in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and DM. Using echocardiography, 1321 patients were screened for diastolic, systolic (ejection fraction <50%) or combined LVD. Diastolic LVD was diagnosed based on the ratio of early rapid filling to late filling due to atrial contraction, pulmonary vein flow, and deceleration time. Patients using glucose-lowering drugs or insulin or with a fasting glucose level >6.1 mmol/L were diagnosed with DM. The primary end point was occurrence of cardiovascular death during a mean follow-up of 2.5 +/- 1.9 years. In the total population, DM was diagnosed in 518 patients (39%), and diastolic, systolic, or combined LVD was present in 356 patients (27%), 102 patients (8%), or 156 patients (12%), respectively. In diabetic patients, diastolic and systolic LVDs were associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio 1.8, 95% confidence interval 1.03 to 3.03; hazard ratio 3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.46 to 6.38). In nondiabetic patients, the same association between diastolic or systolic LVD and outcome was observed (hazard ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 3.74; hazard ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval 2.00 to 7.52). Combined systolic and diastolic LVD had the worst prognosis. In conclusion, diabetic patients with PAD have an increased prevalence of isolated systolic and combined LVD. In patients with PAD the presence of isolated diastolic, systolic, or combined LVD was independently and equally associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, irrespective of the concomitant presence of DM.

Comparison with computed tomography of two ultrasound devices for diagnosis of abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Screening for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in patients at risk will become more cost effective if a simple, inexpensive, and reliable ultrasound device is available. The aim of this study was to compare a 2-dimensional, handheld ultrasound device and a newly developed ultrasound volume scanner (based on bladder scan technology) with computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing AAA. A total of 146 patients (mean age 69 +/- 10 years; 127 men) were screened for the presence of AAAs (diameter >3 cm) using CT. All patients were examined with the handheld ultrasound device and the volume scanner. Maximal diameters and volumes were used for the analyses. AAAs were diagnosed by CT in 116 patients (80%). The absolute difference of aortic diameter between ultrasound and CT was <5 mm in 88% of patients. Limits of agreement between ultrasound and CT (-6.6 to 9.4 mm) exceeded the limits of clinical acceptability (+/-5 mm). An excellent correlation between ultrasound and CT was observed (r = 0.98). The correlation coefficient between the volume scanner and CT was 0.86, with agreement of 90% and kappa value of 0.73. Using an optimal cut-off value of >56 ml, defined by receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, sensitivity, specificity, and the positive and negative predictive values of the volume scanner for detecting AAA were 90%, 90%, 97%, and 71%, respectively. In conclusion, this study shows that a 2-dimensional, handheld ultrasound device and a newly developed ultrasound volume scanner can effectively identify patients with AAAs confirmed by CT.