Fibrinogen Level Predicts Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Heart Failure

Prognostic value of albumin-based indices for mortality after heart failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Albumin-based indices have been used to predict mortality after heart failure (HF). We hereby examined the utility of albumin-globin ratio, lactate-albumin ratio, blood urea nitrogen (BUN)-albumin ratio, fibrinogen-albumin ratio, and albumin-bilirubin score (ABS) in predicting mortality after HF.

METHODS

We searched Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases up to 2nd October 2024 for studies examining association between albumin-based indices and mortality after HF. A random-effect meta-analysis was conducted using multivariate adjusted data to calculate pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Subgroup analysis was conducted for short-term (< 90 days) and long-term mortality (≥ 1 year) where possible.

RESULTS

There were seven studies on ABS, three studies each on BUN-albumin and fibrinogen-albumin ratio, and two studies each for albumin-globulin and lactate-albumin ratio. Meta-analysis showed that ABS was predictive of both short-term (HR: 2.01 95% CI: 1.01, 4.00 I2 = 62% p = 0.05) and long-term (HR: 1.36 95% CI: 1.05, 1.76 I2 = 49% p = 0.02) mortality after HF. Meta-analysis also showed that high fibrinogen-albumin ratio (HR: 1.12 95% CI: 1.09, 1.14 I2 = 0% p < 0.00001), BUN-albumin ratio (HR: 1.84 95% CI: 1.28, 2.64 I2 = 64% p = 0.001), and lactate-albumin ratio (HR: 1.84 95% CI: 1.68, 2.01 I2 = 0% p < 0.00001) were predictors of mortality after HF.

CONCLUSION

Very low quality of evidence indicates that albumin-based indices can predict mortality after HF. ABS was found to independently predict short and long-term mortality after HF. Other ratios like the albumin-globin ratio, lactate-albumin ratio, BUN-albumin ratio, and fibrinogen-albumin ratio were also found to predict mortality after HF albeit with limited data.

The Association between Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation Profiles and Neurologic Outcome in Patients with In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

Background

The relationship between disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) profiles and survival or neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients is well known. In contrast, the relationship between DIC profiles and neurological outcomes in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) remains unclear. This study sought to examine the correlation between DIC profiles and neurological outcomes in IHCA patients.

Methods

A retrospective observational study was conducted on comatose adult IHCA patients treated with targeted temperature management between January 2017 and December 2022. DIC profiles were used to calculate the DIC score, and were measured immediately after the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC). The primary endpoint was a poor neurological outcome at six months, defined by cerebral performance in categories 3, 4, or 5. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the association between DIC profiles and poor neurological outcomes.

Results

The study included 136 patients, of which 107 (78.7%) patients demonstrated poor neurological outcomes. These patients had higher fibrinogen (3.2 g/L vs. 2.3 g/L) and fibrin degradation product levels (50.7 mg/L vs. 30.1 mg/L) and lower anti-thrombin III (ATIII) levels (65.7% vs. 82.3%). The DIC score did not differ between the good and poor outcome groups. In multivariable analysis, fibrinogen (odds ratio [OR], 1.009; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.003-1.016) and ATIII levels (OR, 0.965; 95% CI, 0.942-0.989) were independently associated with poor neurological outcomes.

Conclusions

Decreased fibrinogen and ATIII levels after ROSC were an independent risk factor for unfavorable neurological outcomes in IHCA. The DIC score is unlikely to play a significant role in IHCA prognosis in contrast to OHCA.

The inverted U-shaped association between blood fibrinogen and rehospitalization risk in patients with heart failure

Fibrinogen, a biomarker of thrombosis and inflammation, is related to a high risk for cardiovascular diseases. However, studies on the prognostic value of blood fibrinogen concentrations for heart failure (HF) patients are few and controversial. We performed a retrospective analysis among acute or deteriorating chronic HF patients admitted to a hospital in Sichuan, China, between 2016 and 2019, integrating electronic health care records and external outcome data (N = 1532). During 6 months of follow-up, 579 HF patients were readmitted within 6 months, and 46 of them died. Surprisingly, we found an inverted U-shaped association of blood fibrinogen levels with risk of readmission within 6 months but not with risk of death within 6 months. It was found that HF patients had the highest risk for readmission within 6 months after reaching the turning point for blood fibrinogen (2.4 g/L). In HF patients with low fibrinogen levels < 2.4 g/L, elevated fibrinogen concentrations were still significantly associated with a higher risk for readmission within 6 months [OR = 2.3, 95% CI (1.2, 4.6); P = 0.014] after controlling for relevant covariates. There was no significant association between blood fibrinogen and readmission within 6 months [(OR = 1.0, 95% CI (0.9, 1.1); P = 0.675] in HF patients with high fibrinogen (> 2.4 g/L). The effect difference for the two subgroups was significant (P = 0.014). However, we did not observe any association between blood fibrinogen and death within 6 months stratified by the turning point, and the effect difference for the stratification was not significant (P = 0.380). We observed an inverted U-shaped association between blood fibrinogen and rehospitalization risk in HF patients for the first time. Additionally, our results did not support that elevated blood fibrinogen was related to increased death risk after discharge.

Guideline-Optimised Treatment in Heart Failure-Do Higher Doses Reduce Systemic Inflammation More Significantly?

Background: Chronic inflammation is a constant phenomenon which accompanies the heart failure pathophysiology. In all phenotypes of heart failure, irrespective of the ejection fraction, there is a permanent low-grade activation and synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines. Many classes of anti-remodelling medication used in the treatment of chronic heart failure have been postulated to have an anti-inflammatory effect. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 220 patients and focused on evaluating the effect of the most used active substances from these classes in reducing the level of inflammatory biomarkers (C reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and fibrinogen) after initiation or up-titration. Our research is evaluating if this anti-inflammatory effect intensifies while raising the dose. The evaluation was performed at two visits with an interval between them of 6 months. Results: From the beta-blockers class, carvedilol showed a reduction in erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), in low (6.25 mg, bi daily) and medium (12.5 mg, bi daily) doses. At the same time, sacubitril/valsartan showed a reduction in CRP levels. This effect was obtained only in the medium (49/51 mg, bi daily) and high (97/103 mg, bi daily) doses, with the maximum reduction being observed in the high dose. Conclusions: From the classes of medication evaluated, the study showed a significant reduction in ESR levels in the low and medium doses of carvedilol and a reduction in CRP values in the cases of medium and high doses of ARNI.

Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio in Patients with Acute Heart Failure

The fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) in the acute phase of acute heart failure (AHF) has seldom been evaluated.A total of 1,402 hospitalized AHF patients were analyzed. We calculated FAR using the following formula: plasma fibrinogen (g/L) /serum albumin (g/L) × 1,000. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to FAR value quartiles (low-FAR [Q1, FAR ≤ 564, n = 352], middle-FAR [Q2/Q3, 565 ≤ FAR ≤ 1,071, n = 700], and high-FAR [Q4, FAR ≥ 1,072, n = 350]). The median (interquartile range) FAR value was 855 (710-1,103). A multivariate logistic regression model showed that C-reactive protein (per 1 mg/dL increase; odds ratio [OR]: 1.307, 95% CI: 1.250-1.3366, P < 0.001), ischemic heart disease etiology (OR: 1.691, 95%CI: 1.227-2.331, P = 0.001), and diabetes mellitus (DM; OR: 1.624, 95%CI: 1.188-2.220, P = 0.002) were independently associated with high FAR values. Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that prognosis of all-cause mortality within 730 days was significantly poorer (P = 0.033) in the high-FAR group than in the other 2 groups. Conversely, in the low-albumin group, the prognosis of all-cause mortality was significantly poorer (P = 0.006) in the low-FAR group than in the other groups. A Cox regression model revealed that in the low-albumin group, a low FAR value was an independent predictor of 730-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.503, 95% CI: 0.287-0.881, P = 0.016) and HF events (HR: 0.444, 95%CI 0.276-0.712, P = 0.001).Elevated FAR was associated with inflammation, DM, and ischemic etiology, and with adverse outcomes in the whole AHF group, whereas low FAR was independently associated with adverse outcomes in the low-albumin group.

Inflammation in Heart Failure-Future Perspectives

Chronic heart failure is a terminal point of a vast majority of cardiac or extracardiac causes affecting around 1-2% of the global population and more than 10% of the people above the age of 65. Inflammation is persistently associated with chronic diseases, contributing in many cases to the progression of disease. Even in a low inflammatory state, past studies raised the question of whether inflammation is a constant condition, or if it is, rather, triggered in different amounts, according to the phenotype of heart failure. By evaluating the results of clinical studies which focused on proinflammatory cytokines, this review aims to identify the ones that are independent risk factors for heart failure decompensation or cardiovascular death. This review assessed the current evidence concerning the inflammatory activation cascade, but also future possible targets for inflammatory response modulation, which can further impact the course of heart failure.

Association between fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio and prognosis of patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Systemic inflammation is closely associated with the development and progression of heart failure (HF), increasing vulnerability to thromboembolic events. This retrospective cohort study assessed the potential of the fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR), a new inflammatory biomarker, as a prognostic indicator for HF risk.

METHODS

One thousand one hundred and sixty six women and 826 men with a mean age of 70.70 ± 13.98 years were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV v2.0) database. Additionally, a second cohort was obtained, including 309 patients from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University. The relationship between FAR and the prognosis of HF was evaluated using multivariate analysis, propensity score-matched analysis, and subgroup analysis.

RESULTS

Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio was an independent risk factor for 90-day all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.19; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01-1.40), 1-year all-cause mortality (hazard ratio: 1.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.06-1.41), and length of hospital stay (LOS) (β: 1.52; 95% CI: 0.67-2.37) in the MIMIC-IV dataset, even after adjusting for potential covariates. These findings were verified in the second cohort (β: 1.82; 95% CI: 0.33-3.31) and persisted after propensity score-matching and subgroup analysis. FAR was positively correlated with C-reactive protein, NT-proBNP, and Padua score. The correlation between FAR and NT-proBNP (R = .3026) was higher than with fibrinogen (R = .2576), albumin (R = -.1822), platelet-to-albumin ratio (R = .1170), and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (R = .1878) (ps  < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

Fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio is an independent risk prognostic factor for 90-day, 1-year all-cause mortality and LOS among HF patients. Inflammation and prothrombotic state may underlie the relationship between FAR and poor prognosis in HF.

Fibrinogen is Associated with Clinical Adverse Events in Patients with Psoriasis and Coronary Artery Disease

Purpose

The presence of elevated fibrinogen levels is associated with cardiovascular disease. However, whether fibrinogen level is associated with adverse clinical events in patients with psoriasis and coronary artery disease (CAD) is unknown. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between fibrinogen levels and cardiovascular adverse events in these patients.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective cohort study collected consecutive patients with psoriasis and CAD between January 2017 and May 2022 in our hospital. The clinical records were collected, and comparisons were made between groups. The Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used to evaluate the association between variables.

Results

Of the 267 participants, one hundred and forty-seven patients (55.1%) had elevated fibrinogen levels. Compared with patients in low fibrinogen group, white blood cell and platelet counts and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were higher, whereas the left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in patients in high fibrinogen group. After a median follow-up of 35.5 months, the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) was higher in patients in high fibrinogen group compared with patients in low fibrinogen group (31.4% vs 16.4%, p = 0.013). The Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed the same trend (log rank p = 0.020). Subgroup analysis revealed a positive association between elevated fibrinogen levels and MACEs in patients aged <60 years (log-rank p = 0.013), those with diabetes (log-rank p = 0.027), and those who were not admitted for acute cardiovascular syndrome (log-rank p = 0.015).

Conclusion

Elevated fibrinogen levels were associated with adverse clinical events in patients with psoriasis and CAD, especially among patients aged <60 years, those with diabetes, and those not admitted for acute cardiovascular syndrome.

Decreased level of serum NT-proCNP associates with disease severity in COVID-19

BACKGROUND

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is an endothelium-derived paracrine molecule with an important role in vascular homeostasis. In septic patients, the serum level of the amino-terminal propeptide of CNP (NT-proCNP) shows a strong positive correlation with inflammatory biomarkers and, if elevated, correlates with disease severity and indicates a poor outcome. It is not yet known whether NT-proCNP also correlates with the clinical outcome of patients suffering from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In the current study, we aimed to determine possible changes in the NT-proCNP levels of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), with special regard to disease severity and outcome.

METHODS

In this retrospective analysis, we determined the serum level of NT-proCNP in hospitalized patients with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, using their blood samples taken on admission, stored in a biobank. The NT-proCNP levels of 32 SARS-CoV-2 positive and 35 SARS-CoV-2 negative patients were measured to investigate possible correlation with disease outcome. SARS-CoV-2 positive patients were then divided into two groups based on their need for intensive care unit treatment (severe and mild COVID-19).

RESULTS

The NT-proCNP was significantly different in the study groups (e.g. severe and mild COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients), but showed inverse changes compared to previous observations in septic patients: lowest levels were detected in critically ill COVID-19 patients, while highest levels in the non-COVID-19 group. A low level of NT-proCNP on admission was significantly associated with severe disease outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-level NT-proCNP on hospital admission is associated with a severe COVID-19 disease course. The pathomechanism underlying this observation remains to be elucidated, while future studies in larger patient cohorts are necessary to confirm these observations and reveal therapeutic importance. Trial registration DRKS00026655 Registered 26. November 2021.

Association between Fibrinogen-to-Albumin Ratio and Prognosis in Patients Admitted to an Intensive Care Unit

The objective of this study was to investigate the usefulness of fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) as a prognostic marker in patients admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) compared with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, a widely used prognostic scoring system. An inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to control for selection bias and confounding factors. After IPW adjustment, the high FAR group showed significantly higher risk of 1-year compared with low FAR group (36.4% vs. 12.4%, adjust hazard ratio = 1.72; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.59-1.86; p < 0.001). In the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis associated with the prediction of 1-year mortality, there was no significant difference between the area under the curve of FAR on ICU admission (C-statistic: 0.684, 95% CI: 0.673-0.694) and that of SOFA score on ICU admission (C-statistic: 0.679, 95% CI: 0.669-0.688) (p = 0.532). In this study, FAR and SOFA score at ICU admission were associated with 1-year mortality in patients admitted to an ICU. Especially, FAR was easier to obtain in critically ill patients than SOFA score. Therefore, FAR is feasible and might help predict long-term mortality in these patients.

The association between fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) and adverse prognosis in patients with acute decompensated heart failure at different glucose metabolic states

BACKGROUND

Circulating fibrinogen-to-albumin ratio (FAR) has been proposed as a novel inflammatory biomarker and a cardiovascular disease risk predictor. However, its prognostic value in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and different glycemic metabolic states remains ambiguous.

METHODS

A total of 1031 hospitalized patients with ADHF from January 2018 to May 2021 were included in the study. The primary endpoints were the major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCEs). Patients were categorized into high-level FAR (FAR-H) and low-level FAR (FAR-L) groups based on the optimal cut-off value of FAR obtained from restricted cubic spline function analysis. The Kaplan-Meier plots and three multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to determine the association between FAR and the risk of developing MACCEs in patients with ADHF at different glycemic metabolic states.

RESULTS

MACCEs occurred in 483 (46.8%) patients during a median follow-up time of 520 days. The optimal FAR cut-off value was 0.079. Upon analyzing the Kaplan-Meier plots, the incidence of MACCEs was significantly different between the FAR groups in all patients and patients with diabetes mellitus (p < 0.05). After adjusting for the confounding factors, the hazard ratio (HR) for MACCEs in the FAR-H group was 1.29 compared with the FAR-L group in all patients (Model 3: 95% CI 1.07-1.56, p = 0.007). Additionally, high FAR was associated with MACCEs in three multivariate Cox models (Model 1, HR = 1.52, 95% CI 1.17-1.96, p = 0.002; Model 2, HR = 1.46, 95% CI 1.13-1.89, p = 0.004; Model 3, HR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.14-1.92, p = 0.003) in DM patients. But no significant differences were found between the FAR groups for prediabetes mellitus (Pre-DM) and normal glucose regulation (NGR) using the three Cox models (all p-values were > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Elevated FAR was independently associated with poor prognosis in patients with ADHF and DM and thus could be used as a risk stratification tool and a potential therapeutic target in the future.

Predicting ICU Mortality in Rheumatic Heart Disease: Comparison of XGBoost and Logistic Regression

Background

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) accounts for a large proportion of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) deaths. Early prediction of RHD can help with timely and appropriate treatment to improve survival outcomes, and the XGBoost machine learning technology can be used to identify predictive factors; however, its use has been limited in the past. We compared the performance of logistic regression and XGBoost in predicting hospital mortality among patients with RHD from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV) database.

Methods

The patients with RHD in the MIMIC-IV database were divided into two groups retrospectively according to the availability of data and its clinical significance based on whether they survived or died. Backward stepwise regression was used to analyze the independent factors influencing patients with RHD, and to compare the differences between the two groups. The XGBoost algorithm and logistic regression were used to establish two prediction models, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) and decision-curve analysis (DCA) were used to test and compare the models. Finally, DCA and the clinical impact curve (CIC) were used to validate the model.

Results

Data on 1,634 patients with RHD were analyzed, comprising 207 who died during hospitalization and 1,427 survived. According to estimated results for the two models using AUCs [0.838 (95% confidence interval = 0.786–0.891) and 0.815 (95% confidence interval = 0.765–0.865)] and DCA, the logistic regression model performed better. DCA and CIC verified that the logistic regression model had convincing predictive value.

Conclusions

We used logistic regression analysis to establish a more meaningful prediction model for the final outcome of patients with RHD. This model might be clinically useful for patients with RHD and help clinicians to provide detailed treatments and precise management.

Fibrinogen and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases-Review of the Literature and Clinical Studies

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (ASCVD), including coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, and peripheral arterial disease, represent a significant cause of premature death worldwide. Biomarkers, the evaluation of which would allow the detection of ASCVD at the earliest stage of development, are intensively sought. Moreover, from a clinical point of view, a valuable biomarker should also enable the assessment of the patient’s prognosis. It has been known for many years that the concentration of fibrinogen in plasma increases, inter alia, in patients with ASCVD. On the one hand, an increased plasma fibrinogen concentration may be the cause of the development of atherosclerotic lesions (increased risk of atherothrombosis); on the other hand, it may be a biomarker of ASCVD, as it is an acute phase protein. In addition, a number of genetic polymorphisms and post-translational modifications of fibrinogen were demonstrated that may contribute to the risk of ASCVD. This review summarizes the current data on the importance of fibrinogen as a biomarker of ASCVD, and also presents the relationship between molecular modifications of this protein in the context of ASCVD.