Tissue Doppler time intervals predict the occurrence of rehospitalization in chronic heart failure: data from the daunia heart failure registry.
BACKGROUND
Patients with chronic heart failure (HF) are often rehospitalized; rehospitalization identifies subjects with a poorer quality of life and a worse prognosis. Estimates of the time intervals by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in patients with chronic HF has not been fully investigated, despite recent studies having explored the prognostic role of TDI-derived parameters in major cardiac diseases, such as HF. We, therefore, aimed to assess the prognostic value of time intervals evaluated by TDI in patients with chronic HF.


METHODS
A total of 249 patients with chronic HF enrolled in the Daunia Heart Failure Registry underwent echocardiography assessment and were followed prospectively for a mean 284 ± 210 days. Conventional echocardiography and TDI parameters were calculated; time intervals were calculated by TDI: ST (systolic time), ET (ejection time), FT (filling time), and ICT (isovolumic contraction time). We also have calculated ICT/ET and tissue myocardial performance index ([ICT+IRT]/ET).


RESULTS
At univariate analysis, ET (RR: 0.80, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.71-0.90, P < 0.001), ST (RR: 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.99, P < 0.05), FT (RR: 0.88, 95% CI 0.78-0.99, P < 0.05), ICT/ET (RR: 1.21, 95% CI 1.07-1.37, P < 0.01) were related to the occurrence of rehospitalization during follow-up. At multivariate Cox regression analysis, correlations remained significant for ET and ST (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Time intervals assessed by TDI may be helpful in predicting the risk of rehospitalization in subjects with chronic HF.
Department of Cardiology, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy. opsfco@tin.it
Michele
M
Correale
Antonio
A
Totaro
Carmen Adriana
CA
Greco
Francesco
F
Musaico
Fiorella
F
De Rosa
Armando
A
Ferraretti
Riccardo
R
Ieva
Matteo
M
Di Biase
Natale Daniele
ND
Brunetti
D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012042:Registries; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity