Impact of right ventricular stroke work index on predicting hospital readmission and functional status of patients with advanced heart failure

Abstract

Introduction and aims: the prognosis of chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) has been studied extensively, but factors predicting cardiac decompensation are poorly defined. Right ventricular stroke work index (RVSWI), an invasive measure of right ventricular (RV) systolic function, is a well-known prognostic marker of RV failure after left ventricular assist device insertion and after lung transplantation. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess whether there is a relationship between RVSWI, HFrEF hospital readmission due to cardiac decompensation, and prognosis. Methods: we prospectively enrolled 132 consecutive patients with HFrEF. Right heart catheterization was performed and RVSWI values were calculated in all patients. The relationship between RVSWI values and readmission and prognosis was analyzed. Results: during a median follow-up of 20 +/- 7 months, 33 patients were readmitted due to cardiac decompensation in the survivor group, and 18 patients died due to cardiac causes. There was no difference between patients who died and survived in terms of RVSWI values. Among patients with decompensation, mean RVSWI was significantly lower than in patients with stable HFrEF (6.0 +/- 2.2 g/m(2)/ beat vs. 8.8 +/- 3.5 g/m(2)/ beat, p<0.001). On correlation analysis, RVSWI was negatively correlated with NYHA functional class. RVSWI was also identified as an independent risk factor for cardiac decompensation in Cox regression survival analysis. Conclusions: we showed that RVSWI predicts cardiac decompensation and correlates with functional class in advanced stage HFrEF. Our data suggest the value of combining information on right heart hemodynamics with assessment of RV function when defining the risk of patients with advanced HFrEF.