Left atrial systolic force and outcome in asymptomatic mild to moderate aortic stenosis.
OBJECTIVE
In patients with chronic pressure overload due to hypertension or aortic valve stenosis (AS), higher left atrial systolic force (LASF) is associated with a high-risk cardiovascular (CV) phenotype. We tested LASF as prognostic marker in patients with AS.


METHODS
We used baseline and outcome data from 1,566 patients recruited in the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in AS (SEAS) study evaluating the effect of placebo-controlled simvastatin and ezetimibe treatment on CV events. The primary outcome was a composite of major CV events, including CV death, aortic valve replacement, nonfatal myocardial infarction, hospitalization for unstable angina, heart failure caused by progression of AS, coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, and nonhemorrhagic stroke. LASF was calculated by Manning's method. High LASF was defined as >95th percentile (50 Kdynes/cm(2)) of the distribution within the study population.


RESULTS
During 4.3 years of follow-up, a major CV event occurred in 38 of 78 patients with high LASF (49%) and in 513 of 1,488 (34%) with normal LASF (P = 0.01). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, high LASF predicted higher rate of major CV events (Hazard ratio 1.43 [95% confidence interval 1.01-2.03] independent of aortic valve area and LV mass index. A simple risk score including absence or presence of these three variables allowed risk stratification into low, intermediate, high and very high risk for major CV events during follow-up (22%, 28%, 38%, and 53%, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Higher LASF provides additional prognostic information in patients with asymptomatic mild-to-moderate AS.
Department of Cardiology, Villa Bianca Hospital, Trento, Italy. gcioffi@villabiancatrento.it
Giovanni
G
Cioffi
Dana
D
Cramariuc
Morten
M
Dalsgaard
Einar S
ES
Davidsen
Kenneth
K
Egstrup
Anne B
AB
Rossebø
Giovanni
G
de Simone
Eva
E
Gerdts
D000368:Aged; D001024:Aortic Valve Stenosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D038622:Internationality; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography
D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents