Background: It is still unclear whether changes in right ventricular function are associated with prognosis in heart failure (HF) patients. This study aimed to examine the prognostic effect of changes in right ventricular fractional area change (RVFAC).Methods and Results: This study enrolled 480 hospitalized patients with decompensated HF, and measured RVFAC with echocardiography at discharge (first examination) and post-discharge in the outpatient setting (second examination). RVFAC was divided into 3 categories: >35% in 314 patients, 25-35% in 108 patients, and <25% in 58 patients. Next, based on changes in RVFAC from the first to the second examination, the patients were further classed into 4 groups: (1) Preserved/Unchanged (preserved and unchanged RVFAC, n=235); (2) Reduced/Improved (improved RVFAC in at least 1 category, n=106); (3) Reduced/Unchanged (reduced and unchanged RVFAC, n=47); and (4) Preserved or Reduced/Worsened (deteriorated RVAFC in at least 1 category, n=92). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that chronic kidney disease and anemia were the predictors of the preserved or reduced/worsened RVFAC. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, changes in RVFAC were associated with the cardiac event rate and all-cause mortality. In the multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, the preserved or reduced/worsened RVFAC was an independent predictor of cardiac events and all-cause mortality.
Conclusions: Changes in RVFAC were associated with post-discharge prognosis in hospitalized heart failure patients.
Keywords: Echocardiography; Heart failure; Prognosis; Right ventricle.