Reappraisal of the reliability of Doppler echocardiographic estimations for mean pulmonary artery pressure in patients with pulmonary hypertension: a study from a tertiary centre comparing four formulae

Remembering the Occam's Razor: Could Simple Electrocardiographic Findings Provide Relevant Predictions for Current Hemodynamic Criteria of Pulmonary Hypertension?

BACKGROUND

We evaluated the predictive value of electrocardiographic (ECG) findings for pulmonary hemodynamics assessed by right heart catheterization (RHC).

METHODS

Our study population comprised 562 retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent RHC between 2006 and 2022. Correlations between ECG measures and pulmonary arterial systolic and mean pressures (PASP and PAMP) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were investigated. Moreover, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis assessed the predictive value of ECG for pulmonary hypertension (PH) and precapillary PH.

RESULTS

The P-wave amplitude (Pwa) and R/S ratio (r) in V1 and V2, Ra in augmented voltage right (aVR), right or indeterminate axis, but not P wave duration (Pwd) or right bundle branch block (RBBB) significantly correlated with PASP, PAMP, and PVR (P <.001 for all). The partial R2 analysis revealed that amplitude of R wave (Ra) in aVR, R/Sr in V1 and V2, QRS axis, and Pwa added to the base model provided significant contributions to variance for PASP, PAMP, and PVR, respectively. The Pwa > 0.16 mV, Ra in aVR > 0.05 mV, QRS axis > 100° and R/Sr in V1 > 0.9 showed the highest area under curve (AUC) values for PAMP > 20 mm Hg. Using the same cutoff value, Ra in aVR, Pwa, QRS axis, and R/Sr in V1 showed highest predictions for PVR > 2 Wood Units (WU).

CONCLUSION

In this study, Pwa, Ra in aVR, right or indeterminate axis deviations, and R/Sr in V1 and V2 showed statistically significant correlations with pulmonary hemodynamics, and Ra in aVR, R/Sr in V2 and V1, QRS axis, and Pwa contributed to variance for PASP, PAMP, and PVR, respectively. Moreover, Pwa, Ra in aVR, QRS axis, and R/Sr in V1 seem to provide relevant predictions for PH and precapillary PH.

The spectrum and prevalence of arrhythmia in different clinical pulmonary hypertension groups in Chinese population

BACKGROUND

Arrhythmia is not uncommon among pulmonary hypertension (PH) population, and may be associated with disease severity.

HYPOTHESIS

To investigate different spectrums and prevalence of arrhythmias in different clinical PH groups in Chinese population.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with PH between April 15, 2019, and August 2, 2021, were enrolled prospectively. The prevalence of different types of arrhythmias in PH patients were calculated. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine independent predictors for arrhythmia.

RESULTS

One thousand patients were enrolled. The prevalence of any arrhythmia, sinus node dysfunction, sinus tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, other types of atrial tachycardia, atrioventricular block, and ventricular tachycardia is 44.4%, 12.2%, 15.2%, 8.1%, 4.1%, 10.2%, 7.1%, and 2.5%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that older age and larger right ventricle (odds ratio: 1.111 and 1.095, p < .05) were independently related with higher probability of supraventricular arrhythmia; Complicating with coronary artery disease, larger right ventricle, and increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (odds ratio: 19.540, 1.106, and 1.085, p < .05) were independently correlated with sinus node dysfunction/atrioventricular block in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

CONCLUSIONS

Nearly half of PH patients experienced at least one type of arrhythmia. The most common seen arrhythmias were supraventricular arrhythmia, sinus tachycardia, and sinus node dysfunction. Older age and larger right ventricle were independently related with higher probability of supraventricular arrhythmia; Complicating with coronary artery disease, larger right ventricle and increased left ventricular end-diastolic diameter were independently correlated with higher probability of sinus node dysfunction/atrioventricular block in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Mildly Elevated Pulmonary Arterial Pressure Is Associated With a High Risk of Progression to Pulmonary Hypertension and Increased Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined as a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) ≥25 mm Hg measured by right heart catheterization. However, the upper limit of a normal mean PAP is 20 mm Hg. There is a gap between the upper limit of normal and the threshold for diagnosing PH. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether individuals with a mildly elevated PAP, defined as 20 mm Hg < mean PAP <25 mm Hg, are at an increased risk of progression to PH or mortality than those with a normal PAP.

Methods and Results

We reviewed studies evaluating the risk of progression to PH and/or mortality in individuals with a mildly elevated PAP versus those with a normal PAP. The mean PAP value of each participant was confirmed by right heart catheterization. We reviewed 1213 studies and 8 fulfilled our inclusion criteria. Our results indicated that individuals with a mildly elevated PAP were 1.81 to 2.45 times more likely to progress to PH than individuals with a normal PAP. There was a statistically significant difference in mortality between the mildly elevated PAP and normal PAP groups (hazard ratio, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.69–3.64). We also pooled survival probabilities in each arm to obtain a summary survival curve for each group, and the pooled survival rates in the mildly elevated PAP group were numerically lower than those in the normal PAP group.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that individuals with a mildly elevated PAP were at an increased risk of progression to PH and mortality than those with a normal PAP.

Mild Pulmonary Hypertension Is Associated With Increased Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Recent studies have demonstrated a continuum in clinical risk related to mean pulmonary artery pressure that begins at >19 mm Hg, which is below the traditional threshold used to define pulmonary hypertension (PH) of 25 mm Hg. Because of the implications on patient diagnosis and prognosis, the generalizability and validity of these data need further confirmation.

Methods and Results

Databases were searched from inception through January 31, 2018, to identify studies comparing all‐cause mortality between patients with mildly elevated mean pulmonary artery pressure near but <25 mm Hg versus the referent group. The meta‐analysis included 15 nonrandomized studies and 16 482 patients (7451 [45.2%] with measured or calculated mean pulmonary artery pressure of 19–24 mm Hg by right heart catheterization [n=6037] and echocardiography [n=1414] [mild PH]). The mean duration of follow‐up was 5.2 years. Compared with the referent group, mild PH was associated with an increased risk of mortality (risk ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.32–1.74; P<0.001; I²=47%). Secondary analysis using risk‐adjusted time‐to‐event estimates showed a similar result (hazard ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.31; P<0.001; I²=42%). The findings were consistent between subgroups of right heart catheterization and echocardiography studies (P_interaction>0.05). There was evidence of publication bias; however, this did not influence the risk estimate (Duval and Tweedie's trim and fill adjusted risk ratio, 1.34; 95% confidence interval, 1.15–1.56).

Conclusions

The risk of mortality is increased in patients with mild PH, defined as measured or calculated mean pulmonary artery pressure >19 mm Hg. These data emphasize a need for diagnosing patients with mild PH with consideration to enrollment in PH clinical studies investigating pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions to attenuate clinical risk and improve outcomes.