Prognostic value of early reassessment of reduced ejection fraction in acute heart failure

Background and objectives: An improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in patients with heart failure (HF) is associated with a better prognosis. Identifying these sub-jects early after an episode of decompensation, the necessary threshold of LVEF improvement, and its predictive factors are of great interest.Patients and methods: One hundred and ten patients hospitalized for HF were prospectively reassessed at an early outpatient visit (mean of 38 days).Results and conclusions: In subjects with depressed LVEF (< 50%), 50.7% presented an impro-vement in LVEF > 5% between the acute episode and the outpatient visit. This improvement in depressed LVEF was found to be useful for identifying patients with a good prognosis (read-mission due to HF + cardiovascular mortality, P = .022) but not in patients with preserved LVEF (> 50%). Patients with improved LVEF were significantly younger and had new-onset HF, a bet -ter global longitudinal strain (GLS), and better renal function. A multivariate logistic regression model found GLS, new-onset HF, and a lower LV mass index as predictors of LVEF improvement > 5% (AUC = 0.85).(c) 2022 Elsevier Espania, S.L.U. and Sociedad Espaniola de Medicina Interna (SEMI). All rights reserved.