title: Clinical and hemodynamic predictors of survival in patients aged < 65 years with severe congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: To identify which clinical or hemodynamic parameters predict survival in patients with end-stage heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy, 130 consecutive patients aged < 65 years (mean 46 +/- 13) assessed for heart transplantation from May 1986 to April 1991 were studied. Mean follow-up was 15 +/- 11 months. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 22 +/- 7%. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was 27 +/- 9 mm Hg, and cardiac index was 2.2 +/- 0.6 liter/min/m2. Symptom class was IV in 91% of patients and III in 9%. Etiology was ischemic in 40% of patients and idiopathic in 60%. After intensive medical therapy, heart transplantation was considered indicated in 53% of patients, contraindicated in 20% and not indicated in 27%. Transplantation was performed in 36% of patients during follow-up, and 35% died and 29% were alive without transplantation. A comparison, excluding patients with transplantation, was performed between those who were alive and had survived > or = 6 months after assessment, and those who died. On multivariate analysis, the following 3 parameters were independent predictors of prognosis: intravenous inotropic requirement (p < 0.001), maximal, tolerated captopril dose (p = 0.013) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.003). When patients with transplantation were considered as deaths, stabilization on medical therapy also reached statistical significance (p = 0.009). Classic prognostic markers including ventricular arrhythmias, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, cardiac index, amiodarone therapy and etiology were not associated with prognosis in this homogeneous population of severely ill patients.
authors.affiliation: Heart Transplantation Unit, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Universidad de Córdoba, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anguita
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Arizón
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bueno
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Latre
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sancho
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giménez
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Concha
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vallés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002216:Captopril / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000150:complications*; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D002216:Captopril