Abstract
Right ventricle ejection fraction (RVEF) evaluated with magnetic resonance imaging is a strong determinant of patient outcomes in pulmonary arterial hypertension. We evaluated the prognostic value of RVEF assessed with conventional planar equilibrium radionuclide angiography at baseline and change 3–6 months after initiating pulmonary arterial hypertension-specific therapy.
In a prospective cohort of newly diagnosed patients with idiopathic, heritable or anorexigen-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension, RVEF was measured at baseline (n=100) and 3–6 months after initiation of therapy (n=78). After a median follow-up of 4.1 years, 41 deaths occurred, including 35 from cardiovascular causes. Patients with a (median) baseline RVEF >25% had better survival than those with a RVEF <25% using Kaplan–Meier analysis (p=0.010). RVEF at baseline was an independent predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in adjusted Cox regression model (p=0.002 and p=0.007, respectively; HR 0.93 for both). Patients with stable or increased RVEF at 3–6 months had a trend for improved all-cause survival (HR 2.43, p=0.086) and had less cardiovascular mortality (HR 3.25, p=0.034) than those in whom RVEF decreased despite therapy.
RVEF assessed with conventional planar equilibrium radionuclide angiography at baseline and change in RVEF 3–6 months after therapy initiation independently predict outcomes in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Abstract
RVEF assessed with CPERA at baseline, and its changes on therapy, independently predict outcome in patients with PAH http://ow.ly/DsCS4
Footnotes
For editorial comments see Eur Respir J 2015; 45: 33–35 [DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00209414].
This article has supplementary material available from erj.ersjournals.com
Support statement: This study was funded by Fondation du souffle - Comité National contre les Maladies Respiratoires; Programme Hospitalier de Recherche Clinique; Hospices Civils de Lyon.
Conflict of interest: Disclosures can be found alongside the online version of this article at erj.ersjournals.com
- Received August 28, 2014.
- Accepted October 17, 2014.
- Copyright ©ERS 2015