Left atrial reservoir strain as a predictor of cardiac outcome in patients with heart failure: the HaFaC cohort study

Sjoerd Bouwmeester, Jonna A. van der Stam, Saskia L.M. van Loon, Natal A.W. van Riel, Arjen Kars Boer, Lukas R. Dekker, Volkher Scharnhorst, Patrick Houthuizen

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Abstract

Background: The left atrium (LA) is a key player in the pathophysiology of systolic and diastolic heart failure (HF). Speckle tracking derived LA reservoir strain (LASr) can be used as a prognostic surrogate for elevated left ventricular filling pressure similar to NT-proBNP. The aim of the study is to investigate the correlation between LASr and NT-proBNP and its prognostic value with regards to the composite endpoint of HF hospitalization and all-cause mortality within 1 year. Methods: Outpatients, sent to the echocardiography core lab because of HF, were enrolled into this study. Patients underwent a transthoracic echocardiographic examination, commercially available software was used to measure LASr. Blood samples were collected directly after the echocardiographic examination to determine NT-proBNP. Results: We included 174 HF patients, 43% with reduced, 36% with mildly reduced, and 21% with preserved ejection fraction. The study population showed a strong inverse correlation between LASr and log-transformed NT-proBNP (r = − 0.75, p < 0.01). Compared to NT-proBNP, LASr predicts the endpoint with a comparable specificity (83% vs. 84%), however with a lower sensitivity (70% vs. 61%). Conclusion: LASr is inversely correlated with NT-proBNP and a good echocardiographic predictor for the composite endpoint of hospitalization and all-cause mortality in patients with HF. Trial registration:https://www.trialregister.nl/trial/7268

Original languageEnglish
Article number104
Pages (from-to)104
Number of pages1
JournalBMC Cardiovascular Disorders
Volume22
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2022

Keywords

  • HFmrEF
  • HFpEF
  • HFrEF
  • Left atrial strain
  • NT-proBNP

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