D-dimer level and long-term outcome in patients with end-stage heart failure secondary to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

Biomarkers in the clinical management of patients with atrial fibrillation and heart failure

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and heart failure (HF) are two cardiovascular diseases with an increasing prevalence worldwide. These conditions share common pathophysiologiesand frequently co-exit. In fact, the occurrence of either condition can 'cause' the development of the other, creating a new patient group that demands different management strategies to that if they occur in isolation. Regardless of the temproral association of the two conditions, their presence is linked with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, increased rate of hospitalizations, and increased economic burden on healthcare systems. The use of low-cost, easily accessible and applicable biomarkers may hasten the correct diagnosis and the effective treatment of AF and HF. Both AF and HF effect multiple physiological pathways and thus a great number of biomarkers can be measured that potentially give the clinician important diagnostic and prognostic information. These will then guide patient centred therapeutic management. The current biomarkers that offer potential for guiding therapy, focus on the physiological pathways of miRNA, myocardial stretch and injury, oxidative stress, inflammation, fibrosis, coagulation and renal impairment. Each of these has different utility in current clinincal practice.

The clinical efficacy of compound Danshen injection on acute cerebral infarction and on the changes in the CRP, D-dimer, and IL-6 levels

OBJECTIVE

To study the clinical curative effect of compound Danshen injection on acute cerebral infarction (ACI) patients and its impact on the CRP, D-dimer, and IL-6 levels.

METHODS

116 patients with ACI admitted to our hospital were randomly placed in an observation group (n=58) or a control group (n=58). The control group received rosuvastatin tablets (10 mg/time, qd) in addition to the standard treatment. The observation group received compound Danshen injection in addition to the standard treatment. The treatment continued for 21 days. The clinical treatment efficacy, the CRP, D-dimer, and IL-6 levels, the NIHSS scores (to evaluate the degree of neurological impairment), the Fugl-Meyer scores (to access patients' motor function), the ADL scores, the sleep quality (the PSQI and AIS scores), and the complication incidence rates were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

After the treatment, the effective rate in the observation group (89.66%) was significantly higher than it was in the control group (74.14%) (P<0.05). After the treatment, the serum CRP, D-dimer, and IL-6 levels in the two groups were lower than they were before the treatment, and the levels were lower in the observation group than they were in the control group (all P<0.05). After the treatment, the NIHSS scores in the observation group were lower than they were in the control group, and the Fugl-Meyer and ADL scores were higher than they were in the control group (all P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the PSQI and AIS scores in the observation group were lower than they were in the control group after the treatment (P<0.05). The severe diarrhea, bedsore, urinary tract infection, liver and kidney function injury, skin allergic reactions and other total adverse reaction incidence rates in the observation group were lower than they were in the control group.

CONCLUSION

Rosuvastatin combined with compound Danshen injection is effective in ACI treatment. It is able to effectively improve the clinical symptoms, reduce the incidence of complications, improve the recovery of the IL-6, CRP, and D-dimer levels and enhance patients' sleep quality.

Soluble fibrin monomer complex is associated with cardio- and cerebrovascular events in patients with heart failure

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The soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC), is a marker of fibrin formation.

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SFMC is abnormally elevated in a variety of clinical situations of hypercoagulability.

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SFMC is an independent predictor of adverse prognosis in patients with heart failure.

Background

A biomarker of fibrin formation, the soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC), is abnormally elevated in a variety of clinical situations of hypercoagulability. The aim of the present study was to examine the prognostic impact of SFMC, with regard to increased risk of major cardio- and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) and all-cause mortality, on patients with heart failure (HF).

Methods and Results

We conducted a prospective observational study where we analyzed data of 723 hospitalized patients with decompensated HF who were discharged alive and whose SFMC had been measured in a stable condition prior to discharge. The patients were divided into tertiles based on SFMC levels: the first (SFMC < 1.7 μg/ml, n = 250), second (≤1.8 SFMC < 2.9 μg/ml, n = 233), and third (3.0 μg/ml ≤ SFMC, n = 240) tertiles. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease and anemia was significantly higher in the third tertile than in the first and second tertiles. In contrast, age, sex, CHADS₂-Vasc score, left ventricular ejection fraction, and prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and atrial fibrillation did not differ among the tertiles. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, accumulated event rates of both MACCE and all-cause mortality progressively increased from the first to third tertiles (log-rank P < 0.05, respectively). In the multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, the third tertile was found to be an independent predictor of MACCE (HR 2.014, P = 0.046) and all-cause mortality (HR 1.792, P = 0.036).

Conclusion

SFMC is an independent predictor of adverse prognosis in patients with HF.

Prognostic value of DCTA scoring system in heart failure

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of a novel scoring system, based on D‑dimer, total cholesterol, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), and serum albumin levels, in patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A total of 221 patients diagnosed with heart failure between May 2016 to January 2020 were enrolled in this retrospective study. The prognostic significance of the biomarkers D‑dimer, total cholesterol, hs-cTnT, and serum albumin was determined with univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models. A novel prognostic score based on these predictors was established. The Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare the adverse outcomes of patients in different risk groups.

RESULT

Results from univariate and multivariate analyses showed that high D‑dimer, low serum albumin, high hs-cTnT, and low total cholesterol levels were independent prognostic factors for adverse outcomes (D-dimer >0.63 mg/l, HR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.16-2.94, p = 0.010; serum albumin >34 g/l, HR = 0.67, 95% CI = 0.45-0.99, p = 0.046; hs-cTnT >24.06 pg/ml, HR = 1.65, 95% CI = 1.08-2.53, p = 0.020; total cholesterol >3.68 mmol/l, HR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.43-0.92, p = 0.017). Moreover, all the patients were stratified into low-risk or high-risk group according to a scoring system based on these four markers. Kaplan-Meier analyses demonstrated that patients in the high-risk group were more prone to having adverse outcomes compared with patients in the low-risk group.

CONCLUSION

D‑dimer, total cholesterol, hs-cTnT, and serum albumin levels were independent prognostic factors in the setting of heart failure. A novel and comprehensive scoring system based on these biomarkers is an easily available and effective tool for predicting the adverse outcomes of patients with heart failure.