What's Next for Acute Heart Failure Research?

Blood pressure and heart failure: focused on treatment

Heart failure (HF) remains a significant global health burden, and hypertension is known to be the primary contributor to its development. Although aggressive hypertension treatment can prevent heart changes in at-risk patients, determining the optimal blood pressure (BP) targets in cases diagnosed with HF is challenging owing to insufficient evidence. Notably, hypertension is more strongly associated with HF with preserved ejection fraction than with HF with reduced ejection fraction. Patients with acute hypertensive HF exhibit sudden symptoms of acute HF, especially those manifested with severely high BP; however, no specific vasodilator therapy has proven beneficial for this type of acute HF. Since the majority of medications used to treat HF contribute to lowering BP, and BP remains one of the most important hemodynamic markers, targeted BP management is very concerned in treatment strategies. However, no concrete guidelines exist, prompting a trend towards optimizing therapies to within tolerable ranges, rather than setting explicit BP goals. This review discusses the connection between BP and HF, explores its pathophysiology through clinical studies, and addresses its clinical significance and treatment targets.

The significance of historical troponin elevation in acute heart failure: Not as reassuring as previously assumed

BACKGROUND

Historical cardiac troponin (cTn) elevation is commonly interpreted as lessening the significance of current cTn elevations at presentation for acute heart failure (AHF). Evidence for this practice is lacking. Our objective was to determine the incremental prognostic significance of historical cTn elevation compared to cTn elevation and ischemic heart disease (IHD) history at presentation for AHF.

METHODS

A total of 341 AHF patients were prospectively enrolled at five sites. The composite primary outcome was death/cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical cardiac support, intubation, new/emergent dialysis, and/or acute myocardial infarction (AMI)/percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)/coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes were 30-day AMI/PCI/CABG and in-hospital AMI. Logistic regression compared outcomes versus initial emergency department (ED) cTn, the most recent electronic medical record cTn, estimated glomerular filtration rate, age, left ventricular ejection fraction, and IHD history (positive, negative by prior coronary workup, or unknown/no prior workup).

RESULTS

Elevated cTn occurred in 163 (49%) patients, 80 (23%) experienced the primary outcome, and 29 had AMI (9%). cTn elevation at ED presentation, adjusted for historical cTn and other covariates, was associated with the primary outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.30-4.38), 30-day AMI/PCI/CABG, and in-hospital AMI. Historical cTn elevation was associated with greater odds of the primary outcome when IHD history was unknown at ED presentation (aOR 5.27, 95% CI 1.24-21.40) and did not alter odds of the outcome with known positive (aOR 0.74, 95% CI 0.33-1.70) or negative IHD history (aOR 0.79, 95% CI 0.26-2.40). Nevertheless, patients with elevated ED cTn were more likely to be discharged if historical cTn was also elevated (78% vs. 32%, p = 0.025).

CONCLUSIONS

Historical cTn elevation in AHF patients is a harbinger of worse outcomes for patients who have not had a prior IHD workup and should prompt evaluation for underlying ischemia rather than reassurance for discharge. With known IHD history, historical cTn elevation was neither reassuring nor detrimental, failing to add incremental prognostic value to current cTn elevation alone.

Point-of-care echocardiography of the right heart improves acute heart failure risk stratification for low-risk patients: The REED-AHF prospective study

OBJECTIVES

Validated acute heart failure (AHF) clinical decision instruments (CDI) insufficiently identify low-risk patients meriting consideration of outpatient treatment. While pilot data show that tricuspid annulus plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) is associated with adverse events, no AHF CDI currently incorporates point-of-care echocardiography (POCecho). We evaluated whether TAPSE adds incremental risk stratification value to an existing CDI.

METHODS

Prospectively enrolled patients at two urban-academic EDs had POCechos obtained before or <1 h after first intravenous diuresis, positive pressure ventilation, and/or nitroglycerin. STEMI and cardiogenic shock were excluded. AHF diagnosis was adjudicated by double-blind expert review. TAPSE, with an a priori cutoff of ≥17 mm, was our primary measure. Secondary measures included eight additional right heart and six left heart POCecho parameters. STRATIFY is a validated CDI predicting 30-day death/cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical cardiac support, intubation, new/emergent dialysis, and acute myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization in ED AHF patients. Full (STRATIFY + POCecho variable) and reduced (STRATIFY alone) logistic regression models were fit to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aOR), category-free net reclassification index (NRI_cont ), ΔSensitivity (NRI_events ), and ΔSpecificity (NRI_nonevents ). Random forest assessed variable importance. To benchmark risk prediction to standard of care, ΔSensitivity and ΔSpecificity were evaluated at risk thresholds more conservative/lower than the actual outcome rate in discharged patients.

RESULTS

A total of 84/120 enrolled patients met inclusion and diagnostic adjudication criteria. Nineteen percent experiencing the primary outcome had higher STRATIFY scores compared to those event free (233 vs. 212, p = 0.009). Five right heart (TAPSE, TAPSE/PASP, TAPSE/RVDD, RV-FAC, fwRVLS) and no left heart measures improved prediction (p < 0.05) adjusted for STRATIFY. Right heart measures also had higher variable importance. TAPSE ≥ 17 mm plus STRATIFY improved prediction versus STRATIFY alone (aOR 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.06-0.91; NRI_cont  0.71, 95% CI 0.22-1.19), and specificity improved by 6%-32% (p < 0.05) at risk thresholds more conservative than the standard-of-care benchmark without missing any additional events.

CONCLUSIONS

TAPSE increased detection of low-risk AHF patients, after use of a validated CDI, at risk thresholds more conservative than standard of care.

Incidence of Timely Outpatient Follow-Up Care After Emergency Department Encounters for Acute Heart Failure

BACKGROUND

Patients who are discharged from the emergency department (ED) after an encounter for acute heart failure are at high risk for return hospitalization. These patients may benefit from timely outpatient follow-up care to reassess volume status, adjust medications, and reinforce self-care strategies. This study examines the incidence of outpatient follow-up care after ED encounters for acute heart failure and describes patient characteristics associated with obtaining timely follow-up care.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using an administrative claims database for a large US commercial insurer, from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2019. Participants included adult patients discharged from the ED with principal diagnosis of acute heart failure. The primary outcome was obtaining an in-person outpatient clinic visit for heart failure within 30 days. We also examined the competing risk of all-cause hospitalization within 30 days and without an intervening outpatient clinic visit. We estimated competing risk regression models to identify patient characteristics associated with obtaining outpatient follow-up and report cause-specific hazard ratios.

RESULTS

The cohort included 52 732 patients, with mean age of 73.9 years (95% CI, 73.8-74.0) and 27 395 (52.0% [95% CI, 51.5-52.4]) female patients. Within 30 days of the ED encounter, 12 279 (23.2%) patients attended an outpatient clinic visit for heart failure, with 8382 (15.9%) patients hospitalized before they could obtain an outpatient clinic visit. In the adjusted analysis, patients that were younger, women, reporting non-Hispanic Black race, and had fewer previous clinic visits were less likely to obtain outpatient follow-up care.

CONCLUSIONS

Few patients obtain timely outpatient follow-up after ED visits for heart failure, although nearly 20% require hospitalization within 30 days. Improved transitions following discharge from the ED may represent an opportunity to improve outcomes for patients with acute heart failure.

Hemodynamic profiles by non-invasive monitoring of cardiac index and vascular tone in acute heart failure patients in the emergency department: External validation and clinical outcomes

Background

Non-invasive finger-cuff monitors measuring cardiac index and vascular tone (SVRI) classify emergency department (ED) patients with acute heart failure (AHF) into three otherwise-indistinguishable subgroups. Our goals were to validate these “hemodynamic profiles” in an external cohort and assess their association with clinical outcomes.

Methods

AHF patients (n = 257) from five EDs were prospectively enrolled in the validation cohort (VC). Cardiac index and SVRI were measured with a ClearSight finger-cuff monitor (formerly NexFin, Edwards Lifesciences) as in a previous study (derivation cohort, DC, n = 127). A control cohort (CC, n = 127) of ED patients with sepsis was drawn from the same study as the DC. K-means cluster analysis previously derived two-dimensional (cardiac index and SVRI) hemodynamic profiles in the DC and CC (k = 3 profiles each). The VC was subgrouped de novo into three analogous profiles by unsupervised K-means consensus clustering. PERMANOVA tested whether VC profiles 1–3 differed from profiles 1–3 in the DC and CC, by multivariate group composition of cardiac index and vascular tone.

Profiles in the VC were compared by a primary outcome of 90-day mortality and a 30-day ranked composite secondary outcome (death, mechanical cardiac support, intubation, new/emergent dialysis, coronary intervention/surgery) as time-to-event (survival analysis) and binary events (odds ratio, OR). Descriptive statistics were used to compare profiles by two validated risk scores for the primary outcome, and one validated score for the secondary outcome.

Results

The VC had median age 60 years (interquartile range {49–67}), and was 45% (n = 116) female. Multivariate profile composition by cardiac index and vascular tone differed significantly between VC profiles 1–3 and CC profiles 1–3 (p = 0.001, R² = 0.159). A difference was not detected between profiles in the VC vs. the DC (p = 0.59, R² = 0.016).

VC profile 3 had worse 90-day survival than profiles 1 or 2 (HR = 4.8, 95%CI 1.4–17.1). The ranked secondary outcome was more likely in profile 1 (OR = 10.0, 1.2–81.2) and profile 3 (12.8, 1.7–97.9) compared to profile 2. Diabetes prevalence and blood urea nitrogen were lower in the high-risk profile 3 (p<0.05). No significant differences between profiles were observed for other clinical variables or the 3 clinical risk scores.

Conclusions

Hemodynamic profiles in ED patients with AHF, by non-invasive finger-cuff monitoring of cardiac index and vascular tone, were replicated de novo in an external cohort. Profiles showed significantly different risks of clinically-important adverse patient outcomes.

Blood Pressure Reduction in Hypertensive Acute Heart Failure

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To review the key clinical and research questions regarding blood pressure (BP) reduction with vasodilators in the early management of hypertensive acute heart failure (H-AHF).

RECENT FINDINGS

Despite numerous AHF vasodilator clinical trials in the past two decades, virtually none has studied a population where vasoconstriction is the predominant physiology, and with the agents and doses most commonly used in contemporary practice. AHF patients are remarkably heterogenous by vascular tone, and this heterogeneity is not always discernible through BP or clinical exam. Emerging data suggest that diastolic BP may be a stronger correlate of vascular tone in AHF than systolic BP, despite the latter historically serving as a key inclusion criterion for vasodilator clinical trials. Existing data are limited. A clinical trial that evaluates vasodilators in a manner of use consistent with contemporary practice, specifically within the subpopulation of patients with true H-AHF, is greatly needed. Until then, observational data supports long-standing vasodilators such as nitroglycerin, administered by IV bolus, and with goal reduction of SBP ≤25% as a safe first-line approach for patients with severe H-AHF presentations.

Global Differences in Characteristics, Precipitants, and Initial Management of Patients Presenting With Acute Heart Failure

Importance

Acute heart failure (AHF) precipitates millions of hospital admissions worldwide, but previous registries have been country or region specific.

Objective

To conduct a prospective contemporaneous comparison of AHF presentations, etiologic factors and precipitants, treatments, and in-hospital outcomes among global regions through the International Registry to Assess Medical Practice with Longitudinal Observation for Treatment of Heart Failure (REPORT-HF).

Design, Setting, and Participants

A total of 18 553 adults were enrolled during a hospitalization for AHF. Patients were recruited from the acute setting in Western Europe (WE), Eastern Europe (EE), Eastern Mediterranean and Africa (EMA), Southeast Asia (SEA), Western Pacific (WP), North America (NA), and Central and South America (CSA). Patients with AHF were approached for consent and excluded only if there was recent participation in a clinical trial. Patients were enrolled from July 23, 2014, to March 24, 2017. Statistical analysis was conducted from April 18 to June 29, 2018; revised analyses occurred between August 6 and 29, 2019.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Heart failure etiologic factors and precipitants, treatments, and in-hospital outcomes among global regions.

Results

A total of 18 553 patients were enrolled at 358 sites in 44 countries. The median age was 67.0 years (interquartile range [IQR], 57-77), 11 372 were men (61.3%), 9656 were white (52.0%), 5738 were Asian (30.9%), and 867 were black (4.7%). A history of HF was present in more than 50% of the patients and 40% were known to have a prior left-ventricular ejection fraction lower than 40%. Ischemia was a common AHF precipitant in SEA (596 of 2329 [25.6%]), WP (572 of 3354 [17.1%]), and EMA (364 of 2241 [16.2%]), whereas nonadherence to diet and medications was most common in NA (306 of 1592 [19.2%]). Median time to the first intravenous therapy was 3.0 (IQR, 1.4-5.6) hours in NA; no other region had a median time above 1.2 hours (P < .001). This treatment delay remained after adjusting for severity of illness (P < .001). Intravenous loop diuretics were the most common medication administered in the first 6 hours of AHF management across all regions (65.4%-89.9%). Despite similar initial blood pressure across all regions, inotropic agents were used approximately 3 times more often in SEA, WP, and EE (11.3%-13.5%) compared with NA and WE (3.1%-4.3%) (P < .001). Older age (odds ratio [OR], 1.0; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02), HF etiology (ischemia: OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.11-2.44; valvular: OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.36-3.25), creatinine level greater than 2.75 mg/dL (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 0.71-2.40), and chest radiograph signs of congestion (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.39-2.97) were all associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Similarly, younger age (OR, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.05 to -0.02), HF etiology (ischemia: OR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.26-1.29; valvular: OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.38-2.65), creatinine level greater than 2.75 mg/dL (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 0.31-2.00), and chest radiograph signs of congestion (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.57-1.47) were all associated with increased in-hospital LOS.

Conclusions and Relevance

Data from REPORT-HF suggest that patients are similar across regions in many respects, but important differences in timing and type of treatment exist, identifying region-specific gaps in medical management that may be associated with patient outcomes.