Accumulation of risk markers predicts the incidence of sudden death in patients with chronic heart failure.
BACKGROUND
Sudden death is common in chronic heart failure (CHF). Risk stratification is the first step for primary prevention.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the use of risk markers for estimating sudden death risk.


RESULTS
We prospectively examined 680 stable patients with CHF. Risk markers were evaluated using the Cox's proportional hazard model in a stepwise manner. Ejection fraction <30%, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter >60 mm, brain natriuretic peptide >200 pg/ml, non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, and diabetes were significantly associated with increased risk of sudden death. When the number of risk markers were included as co-variables, only "number of risk markers >or=3'' entered the model (hazard ratio 8.95, 95% confidence interval 4.57-17.52), while the effects of individual markers did not enter the model. The annual mortality from sudden death was 11% in patients with 3 or more risk markers and 1.4% in patients with 2 or less.


CONCLUSIONS
Rather than particular risk markers, the number of accumulated risk markers was a more powerful predictor for sudden death in patients with CHF. The number of risk markers could be useful for risk stratification of sudden death.
Watanabe
Jun
J
Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan. watanabe@cardio.med.tohoku.ac.jp
Shinozaki
Tsuyoshi
T
Shiba
Nobuyuki
N
Fukahori
Kohei
K
Koseki
Yoshito
Y
Karibe
Akihiko
A
Sakuma
Masahito
M
Miura
Masahito
M
Kagaya
Yutaka
Y
Shirato
Kunio
K
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D003971:Diastole; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left