title: Predictors of prognosis in patients awaiting heart transplantation.
abstract: Patients enrolled in a clinical heart transplantation program were evaluated to identify the predictors of prognosis in patients with advanced heart disease and to optimize timing of heart transplantation. Three hundred eighty-eight subjects were consecutively evaluated from 1985 through 1989. One hundred eighty-four patients (47.5%) had dilated cardiomyopathy; 164 patients (42.2%) had ischemic heart disease; 34 patients (8.8%) had valvular heart disease, and six patients (1.5%) had miscellaneous disorders. In each patient, 45 different parameters were considered. During follow-up (mean, 8.4 months) 166 patients underwent heart transplantation; 99 patients died (heart failure, 66 patients; sudden death, 26 patients; thromboembolism, two patients; noncardiac causes, five patients). The actuarial survival was 83% at 3 months, 77% at 6 months, 73% at 9 months, 70% at 1 year, and 59% at 2 years. The median survival time was 28 months. Analysis by Cox proportional hazard regression model revealed seven independent and significant prognostic factors: etiology (p < 0.05), NYHA class (p < 0.05), third heart sound (p < 0.05), diastolic pulmonary artery pressure (p < 0.05), pulmonary wedge pressure (p < 0.01), mean systemic blood pressure (p < 0.05), and cardiac output (p < 0.05). Cox's analysis allows the computation of patient-specific curves for predictions of residual survival time at any moment during follow-up. Moreover it can be used to calculate a simple prognostic index, which enables stratification of the patient population into three risk classes: patients at high (n = 105), intermediate (n = 160) and low (n = 123) risk of early death. Pairwise comparisons of survival between the classes were significant at 1% level.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Cardiologia, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, Pavia, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Campana
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gavazzi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berzuini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Larizza
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marioni
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Armini
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pederzolli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viganò
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005544:Forecasting; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000502:physiology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology