Publications

The relationship of right ventricular function and pulmonary systolic pressure in patients with congestive heart failure was evaluated to risk-stratify them. The study included 147 consecutive patients with symptomatic heart failure who underwent clinical and laboratory examination and echocardiography including Doppler tissue echocardiography. They were followed for a mean of 11.2+/-6.4 months. During follow-up, 16 patients died and 45 patients had nonfatal cardiac events. There were 60 readmissions for heart failure. Pulmonary artery systolic pressure and right ventricular systolic function were inversely related (r(2)=0.66, P<.001). On Cox multivariate survival analysis, early worsening of pulmonary arterial pressures was an independent prognostic predictor (hazard ratio, 0.44; confidence interval, 0.28-0.91, P=.024). The patients with pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular systolic dysfunction had the worst prognosis. The assessments of right ventricular function help to risk-stratify patients with heart failure. The early worsening of pulmonary hypertension is a powerful predictor of worse prognosis.