Prevalence of pulmonary hypertension in mitral regurgitation and its influence on outcomes

Characteristics of pulmonary hypertension in adults with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) is commonly associated with pulmonary hypertension (PHT); however, the factors associated with the presence and severity of PHT in patients with LVDD have not been well characterised.

METHODS

We analysed the profiles and echo characteristics of 16 058 adults with LVDD and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, >50%) from the National Echocardiography Database of Australia. Peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) was used to determine the presence of PHT. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate the parameters associated with the presence/increasing severity of PHT.

RESULTS

Mean age was 73±12 years and 9216 (57.4%) were women. 2503 (15.6%) subjects had atrial fibrillation (AF) and 13 555 (84.4%) were in sinus rhythm. Overall, 9976 (62.1%) had PHT (TRV >2.9 m/s). There was a progressive increase in indexed left atrial volume with rising TRV levels. AF and right ventricular (RV) dilation were strongly associated with the presence of PHT (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.27 (95% CI 1.12 to 1.43) and aOR 4.99 (95% CI 4.44 to 5.62), respectively). Increased age, LVEF and body mass index were also independently associated with PHT (p<0.001). On multivariate analysis, older age, female sex, AF, lower E/e' and LVEF were independently associated with the severity of PHT (p<0.001). The presence of AF increased the TRV by an average of 0.32 m/s, RV dilation by 1.82 m/s, female sex by 0.32 m/s and age (per decade) by 0.3 m/s.

CONCLUSION

In this large study, PHT was common in LVDD and was strongly associated with the presence of enlarged left atrium, AF and older age, in particular.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12617001387314.

Mortality associated with moderate and severe mitral regurgitation in 608 570 men and women undergoing echocardiography

BACKGROUND

Although the prognostic implications of severe mitral regurgitation (MR) are well recognised, they are less clear in moderate MR. We therefore explored the prognostic impact of both moderate and severe MR within the large National Echocardiography Database Australia cohort.

METHODS

Echocardiography reports from 608 570 individuals were examined using natural language processing to identify MR severity and leaflet pathology. Atrial (aFMR) or ventricular (vFMR) functional MR was assessed in those without reported leaflet pathology. Using individual data linkage over median 1541 (IQR 820 to 2629) days, we examined the association between MR severity and all-cause (153 612/25.2% events) and cardiovascular-related mortality (47 840/7.9% events).

RESULTS

There were 319 808 men and 288 762 women aged 62.1±18.5 years, of whom 456 989 (75.1%), 102 950 (16.9%), 38 504 (6.3%) and 10 127 (1.7%) individuals had no/trivial, mild, moderate and severe MR, respectively, reported on their last echo. Compared with those with no/trivial MR (26.5% had leaflet pathology, 19.2% died), leaflet pathology (51.8% and 78.9%, respectively) and actual 5-year all-cause mortality (54.6% and 67.5%, respectively) increased with MR severity. On an adjusted basis (age, sex and leaflet pathology), long-term mortality was 1.67-fold (95% CI 1.65 to 1.70) and 2.36-fold (95% CI 2.30 to 2.42) higher in moderate and severe MR cases (p<0.001) compared with no/trivial MR. The prognostic pattern for moderate and severe MR persisted for cardiovascular-related mortality and within prespecified subgroups (leaflet pathology, vFMR or aFMR, and age<65 years).

CONCLUSIONS

Within a large real-world clinical cohort, we confirm that conservatively managed severe MR is associated with a poor prognosis. We further reveal that moderate MR is associated with increased mortality, irrespective of underlying aetiology.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12617001387314).

Prevalence and prognostic significance of pulmonary hypertension in adults with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction

AIMS

Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) appears to be very common in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction but details on its prevalence, severity and prognostic implications have not been well defined. We, therefore, aimed to document PHT and its impact on mortality among adults with left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction (LVDD).

METHODS

We analysed the profile and outcomes of 16 058 adults with LVDD (and with preserved LV ejection fraction, >50%) from the National Echocardiography Database of Australia. Subjects were classified according to their peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV), reflecting PHT risk, and we then evaluated the relationship between conventional thresholds of increasing risk of PHT and subsequent mortality, during median follow-up of 3.1 (IQR 1.6-5.2) years.

RESULTS

Mean age was 73±12 years and 9216 (57.4%) were female. Overall, 2611 (16.3%) had normal TRV levels (<2.5 m/s) indicative of no PHT, compared with 3471 (21.6%), 8450 (52.6%) and 1526 (9.5%) with TRV levels indicative of borderline (2.5-2.8 m/s), intermediate (2.9-3.4 m/s) and high-risk for PHT (>3.4 m/s). The 1-year and 5-year actuarial mortality (1701/1546 and 4232/8445 deaths, respectively) increased from 6.5% and 34.0% to 27.7% and 78.5%, respectively (p<0.0001), from normal to severely elevated TRV. Adjusted risk (HR) of mortality increased 1.28-fold (95% CI 1.15 to 1.41), 1.51-fold (95% CI 1.38 to 1.65) and 3.47-fold (95% CI 3.13 to 3.85) in those with borderline, intermediate and high risk of PHT versus normal TRV. This observation persisted when excluding atrial fibrillation cases, and when male and female cohorts were assessed separately. Mortality rates increased perceptibly at the second decile distribution of TRV (2.37-2.55 m/s) with a marked increase in mortality from the fifth decile (2.91-3.00 m/s) upwards.

CONCLUSION

We demonstrate the negative prognostic impact of elevated TRV levels in many adults with isolated LVDD. A threshold of increased mortality was observed at TRV levels equivalent to 'borderline risk' of PHT.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12617001387314.

Prevalence and significance of pulmonary hypertension among hospitalized patients with left heart disease

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary hypertension associated with left heart disease (PH-LHD) prevalence ranges significantly across studies with limited real-world evidence.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the prevalence and prognostic influence of PH-LHD in a nationwide sample.

METHODS

Using the 2018 US Nationwide Inpatient Sample we calculated the prevalence of PH across heart failure (HF), cardiomyopathies, aortic, and mitral valve disease. We used logistic regression to assess the impact of PH on LHD and to find significant contributors to in-hospital mortality in the PH-LHD population.

RESULTS

Among 6,270,625 hospitalizations with LHD, 801,535 (12.8 %) had a secondary PH diagnosis. PH-LHD prevalence was 17.2 % in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), 11.8 % in HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 16.8 % in dilated cardiomyopathy, 12.6 % in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 18.7 % in mitral regurgitation, 28.5 % in mitral stenosis, 13.5 % in aortic stenosis, and 13.9 % in aortic regurgitation. PH was associated with increased in-hospital mortality in HFpEF (OR 1.23; 95%CI 1.17-1.28), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (1.42; 1.06-1.89), mitral regurgitation (1.17; 1.07-1.28), and aortic stenosis (1.14; 1.04-1.26), but not in HFrEF (1.04; 0.99-1.10), or dilated cardiomyopathy (1.13; 0.99-1.29). Among PH-LHD, in-hospital mortality was associated with age, atrial fibrillation/flutter, cancer, and acute cardiac (acute right HF, myocardial infarction, ventricular arrhythmia), or extra-cardiac (stroke, sepsis, pneumonia, acute renal failure, venous thromboembolism) diagnoses.

CONCLUSION

In a nationwide inpatient analysis the prevalence of PH-LHD was lower than previously reported indicating reduced recognition of this disease in real world clinical practice. The diagnosis of PH-LHD was associated with worse fatality rates across all forms of LHD, except for HFrEF.

Reappraisal of the Concept and Implications of Pulmonary Hypertension in Degenerative Mitral Regurgitation

BACKGROUND

European and U.S. clinical guidelines diverge regarding pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) in degenerative mitral regurgitation (DMR). Gaps in knowledge underpinning these divergences affect risk assessment and management recommendations attached to systolic pulmonary pressure (SPAP) in DMR.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to define PHTN links to DMR severity, prognostic thresholds, and independent outcome impact in a large quantitative DMR registry.

METHODS

This study gathered a large multicentric registry of consecutive patients with isolated moderate-to-severe DMR, with DMR and SPAP quantified prospectively at diagnosis.

RESULTS

In 3,712 patients (age 67 ± 15 years, 36% women) with ≥ moderate-to-severe DMR, effective regurgitant orifice (ERO) was 0.42 ± 0.19 cm2, regurgitant volume 66 ± 327 mL/beat and SPAP 41 ± 16 mm Hg. Spline-curve analysis showed excess mortality under medical management emerging around SPAP 35 mm Hg and doubling around SPAP 50 mm Hg. Accordingly, severe pulmonary hypertension (sPHTN) (SPAP ≥50 mm Hg) was detected in 916 patients, moderate pulmonary hypertension (mPHTN) (SPAP 35-49 mm Hg) in 1,128, and no-PHTN (SPAP <35 mm Hg) in 1,668. Whereas SPAP was strongly associated with DMR-ERO, nevertheless excess mortality with sPHTN (adjusted HR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.24-2.20) and mPHTN (adjusted HR: 1.44; 95% CI: 1.11-1.85; both P ≤ 0.005) was observed independently of ERO and all baseline characteristics and in all patient subsets. Nested models demonstrated incremental prognostic value of mPHTN and sPHTN (all P < 0.0001). Despite higher operative risk with mPHTN and sPHTN, DMR surgical correction was followed by higher survival in all PHTN ranges with strong survival benefit of early surgery (<3 months). Postoperatively, excess mortality was abolished (P ≥ 0.30) in mPHTN, but only abated in sPHTN.

CONCLUSIONS

This large international registry, with prospectively quantified DMR and SPAP, demonstrates a Doppler-defined PHTN impact on mortality, independent of DMR severity. Crucially, it defines objectively the new and frequent mPHTN range, independently linked to excess mortality under medical management, which is abolished by DMR correction. Thus, at DMR diagnosis, Doppler-SPAP measurement defining these new PHTN ranges, is crucial to guiding DMR management.

Current trends and latest developments in echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular function: load dependency perspective

Right ventricle (RV) failure is a common complication of many cardiopulmonary diseases. Since it has a significant adverse impact on prognosis, precise determination of RV function is crucial to guide clinical management. However, accurate assessment of RV function remains challenging owing to the difficulties in acquiring its intricate pathophysiology and imaging its complex anatomical structure. In addition, there is historical attention focused exclusively on the left ventricle assessment, which has led to overshadowing and delayed development of RV evaluation. Echocardiography is the first-line and non-invasive bedside clinical tool for assessing RV function. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), RV systolic tissue Doppler velocity of the tricuspid annulus (RV S'), and RV fractional area change (RV FAC) are conventional standard indices routinely used for RV function assessment, but accuracy has been subject to several limitations, such as load-dependency, angle-dependency, and localized regional assessment. Particularly, load dependency is a vexing issue, as the failing RV is always in a complex loading condition, which alters the values of echocardiographic parameters and confuses clinicians. Recently, novel echocardiographic methods for improved RV assessment have been developed. Specifically, "strain", "RV-pulmonary arterial (PA) coupling", and "RV myocardial work" are newly applied methods for RV function assessment, a few of which are designed to surmount the load dependency by taking into account the afterload on RV. In this narrative review, we summarize the latest data on these novel RV echocardiographic parameters and highlight their strengths and limitations. Since load independency is one of the primary advantages of these, we particularly emphasize this aspect.

Exercise Pulmonary Hypertension in Heart Valve Disease

The optimal management of heart valve disease (HVD) is still debated and many studies are underway to identify the best time to refer patients for the most appropriate treatment strategy (either conservative, surgical or transcatheter interventions). Exercise pulmonary hypertension (PH) can be detected during exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) and has been demonstrated to have an important prognostic role in HVD, by predicting symptoms and mortality. This review article aims to provide an overview on the prognostic role of exercise PH in valvulopathies, and its possible role in the diagnostic-therapeutic algorithm for the management of HVD.

Association of Pulmonary Artery Pressures With Mortality in Adults With Reduced Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

BACKGROUND

The independent effect of pulmonary hypertension (PHT) severity on mortality in those with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is not well known.

OBJECTIVES

The authors aimed to examine the prognostic impact of increasingly elevated pulmonary pressures in a large clinical cohort of adults with reduced LVEF.

METHODS

The authors analyzed data from the National Echocardiography Database of Australia, a large clinical registry linking routine echocardiographic investigations to mortality. In 23,675 adults with a recorded tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity (TRV) and reduced LVEF (<50%), the authors evaluated the relationship between conventional thresholds of increasing risk of PHT and mortality during median follow-up of 2.9 years (Q1-Q3: 1.0-5.4 years).

RESULTS

Mean age was 70 ± 15 years, and 7,498 (31.7%) individuals were female. Overall, 8,801 (37.2%) had normal (TRV <2.5 m/s), 7,061 (29.8%) had borderline (2.5-2.8 m/s), 5,676 (24.0%) intermediate (2.9-3.4 m/s), and 2,137 (9.0%) individuals had high-risk PHT (>3.4 m/s). With increasing risk of PHT, 1- and 5-year actuarial mortality increased from 13.3% and 43.8% to 41.5% and 81.4%, respectively (P < 0.0001) from normal to severely elevated TRV. The adjusted HR of mortality increased by 1.31-fold (95% CI: 1.23-1.38), 1.82-fold (95% CI: 1.72-1.93), and 2.38-fold (95% CI: 2.21-2.56) in those with borderline, intermediate, and high risk of PHT respectively, compared with normal TRV. Further analyses suggested a distinctive threshold with a TRV reached >2.41 m/s (adjusted HR: 1.18 [95% CI: 1.04-1.33]).

CONCLUSIONS

The authors demonstrate the prevalence and negative prognostic impact of increasingly elevated TRV levels in individuals with reduced LVEF, with a threshold for mortality lying within the range of "borderline risk" PHT.

Pulmonary Hypertension in Left Ventricular Valvular Diseases: A Comprehensive Review on Pathophysiology and Prognostic Value

Left ventricular (LV) valvular diseases, make up one of the most common etiologies for pulmonary hypertension (PH), and it is not well understood how and at which degree it affects prognosis. The aim of the present study was a comprehensive review of the pathophysiologic mechanism of PH in patients with LV valvular diseases and the prognostic value of baseline and post-intervention PH in patients undergoing interventional treatment. The pathophysiology of PH in patients with LV valvular diseases involves gradual elevation of left ventricular filling pressure and left atrial pressure, which are passively transmitted to the pulmonary circulation and raise pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP). A long-lasting exposure to elevated PASP progressively leads to initially functional and thereafter irreversible structural changes in the pulmonary vasculature, leading up to high pulmonary vascular resistance. Surgical treatment of severe LV valvular diseases is highly effective in patients without resting PH or those with exercise-induced PH (EIPH) before intervention. In the case of pre-operative PH, successful interventional therapy decreases PASP, but the post-operative cardiac and all-cause mortality remain higher compared to patients without pre-operative PH. Hence, it is of paramount importance to detect patients with severe LV valvulopathies before the development of PH, since they will get greater benefits from early intervention.