Aptamer proteomics for biomarker discovery in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction

Background

Though current heart failure (HF) biomarkers are highly prognostic, systematically characterizing associations between circulating proteins and risk of subsequent events may improve clinical risk prediction and illuminate new biological pathways. Large-scale assays measuring thousands of proteins now enable unbiased proteomic investigation in clinical trials.

Purpose

To identify and replicate serum proteins associated with HF events in patients with chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), and to develop and validate a proteomic risk score.

Methods

Serum levels of 4076 proteins were measured at baseline in the ATMOSPHERE (n=1261, 487 events over 6 years) and PARADIGM-HF (n=1257, 287 events over 4 years) trials of chronic HFrEF using a modified aptamer-based proteomics assay. Proteins associated with the primary endpoint, HF hospitalization or cardiovascular death, were identified in the ATMOSPHERE discovery cohort (false discovery rate<0.05) by Cox regression adjusted for age, sex, treatment arm, and anticoagulant use, and replicated in PARADIGM-HF (Bonferroni-corrected p<0.05). A proteomic risk score was derived in ATMOSPHERE using Cox LASSO penalized regression and evaluated in PARADIGM-HF compared to the MAGGIC clinical risk score and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP). For proteins associated with the primary endpoint, pathway analysis was conducted using Ingenuity Pathway analysis and an exploratory two-sample Mendelian randomization was performed using genetic and outcome data from both trials and protein quantitative trait loci from deCODE to infer which identified proteins contribute to HF prognosis.

Results

We identified 377 serum proteins associated with the primary endpoint in ATMOSPHERE and replicated 167 in PARADIGM-HF. Prognostic proteins included known HF biomarkers Growth Differentiation Factor 15, NT-proBNP, and Angiopoietin-2, and also a previously unrecognized HF biomarker: Sushi, Von Willebrand Factor Type A, EGF And Pentraxin Domain Containing 1 (SVEP1) (HR 1.60 [95% CI 1.44–1.79] per standard deviation [SD], p=2x10–17) (Table 1). Proteins related to hepatic fibrosis, granulocyte adhesion, and inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases were over-represented. A 64-protein risk score derived in ATMOSPHERE predicted clinical events in PARADIGM-HF with greater discrimination (c-statistic 0.70) than the MAGGIC clinical score (c-statistic 0.61), NT-proBNP (c-statistic 0.65), or both (c-statistic 0.66) (Figure 1). Genetically predicted levels of NT-proBNP, WISP2, FSTL1, and CTSS were associated with the primary endpoint by Mendelian randomization.

Conclusions

We identify SVEP1, an extracellular matrix protein known to cause inflammation in vascular smooth muscle cells, as a previously unrecognized HF biomarker. A 64-protein score improved risk discrimination compared with NT-proBNP and may assist in identifying high-risk patients for clinical trials or disease management programs.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Private company. Main funding source(s): The ATMOSPHERE and PARADIGM-HF trials were sponsored by Novartis

Alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin combined are a powerful predictor of outcome in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: an analysis of the ATMOSPHERE and PARADIGM-HF trials

Introduction

Bilirubin is a recognized predictor of adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), possibly because it is a marker of congestion. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is an enzyme produced in many tissues including the biliary ducts and elevated levels are also associated with congestion.

Purpose

To examine the prognostic value of ALP alone and in combination with bilirubin in patients with HFrEF.

Methods

The study population was ambulatory patients with HFrEF enrolled in 2 recent clinical trials with similar inclusion and exclusion criteria: ATMOSPHERE (derivation cohort) and PARADIGM-HF (validation). Cut points to define elevated bilirubin and alkaline phosphatase were >17mg/dL and >120 U/L respectively. The composite of cardiovascular death or HF hospitalization, its components, and all-cause death related to elevation of one, other or both of bilirubin and ALP was examined using Cox regression. Univariable and multivariable models with adjustment for other recognized prognostic variables including NT-proBNP were analyzed.

Results

Of 7016 patients with HFrEF enrolled in ATMOSPHERE, 6870 had a measurement of both bilirubin and ALP at baseline: mean age 63 years, 22% women, mean LVEF 28% and proportion NYHA class III/IV 37%. Bilirubin and ALP were both normal in 4810 (70.0%) patients, bilirubin was elevated in 1393 (20.3%), ALP was elevated in 360 (5.2%) and both were elevated in 307 (4.5%) patients. Patients with elevation of both ALP and bilirubin were older, had lower systolic blood pressure, higher heart rate, higher NT-pro BNP, more clinical features of congestion, more atrial fibrillation and a greater proportion were treated with diuretics and digoxin. The primary endpoint rates (per 100 person-years) were 10.4 (95% CI 9.9–11.0) when both markers were normal, 15.1 (13.9–16.4) when bilirubin was elevated, 12.4 (10.4–14.9) when alkaline phosphatase was elevated, and 25.6 (22.0–29.9) when both markers were elevated (Figure 1). The adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) were (both biomarkers normal = reference): elevated bilirubin 1.19 (1.07–1.31), P=0.001; elevated ALP 1.03 (0.84–1.26), P=0.81; both elevated 1.45 (1.21–1.73), P<0.001. Elevation of both bilirubin and ALP was a significant independent predictor of the components of the primary outcome and all-cause death, the corresponding hazard ratios for all cause death were 1.12 (0.99–1.25), p=0.06; 1.19 (0.96–1.47), p=0.12; and 1.51 (1.25–1.82), p<0.001. These findings were validated in PARADIGM-HF (Table 1).

Conclusions

Elevation of ALP in combination with elevated bilirubin identifies a small group of patients at very high risk of adverse outcomes. This may reflect more significant congestion. ALP and bilirubin, inexpensive and routinely measured biochemical tests, are useful prognostic markers in patients with HFrEF.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Private grant(s) and/or Sponsorship.

Impact of changes in tricuspid regurgitation on clinical outcomes following mitral valve teer compared to guideline-directed medical therapy: a sub-analysis of the COAPT trial

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

OnBehalf

Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT)

Background

Prior studies suggest tricuspid regurgitation (TR) diminishes/resolves following mitral valve surgery and thus do not require treatment and may not influence outcomes.

Purpose

  We sought to evaluate the change in TR (ΔTR) and its association with outcomes after transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) compared with guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in the COAPT trial.

Methods

Patients from the COAPT trial with echo core lab TR assessment at baseline and 30-day follow-up (n = 504) were included and divided into 2 groups: those whose TR worsened (ΔTR-INC) and those with no change or improvement in TR (ΔTR-SAME/DEC).  Two-year composite endpoints of death or heart failure hospitalization (HFH) and the individual components were analyzed, after excluding events occurring within the first 30 days.

Results

ΔTR-SAME/DEC occurred in 430 pts (228 TEER, 202 GDMT) while ΔTR-INC was noted in 74 pts (38 TEER, 36 GDMT) (Figure 1A). From 30 days to 2 years, ΔTR-INC pts had a higher rate of the composite outcome of death or HFH compared with ΔTR-SAME/DEC (p = 0.006, Figure 1B). Both 2-year death (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.01-2.27; p = 0.04) and HFH (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.04-2.22; p = 0.03) were associated with ΔTR-INC. Assessed by treatment group (Figure 1C and 1D), the relationship between ΔTR-INC and composite death or HFH was significant in GDMT alone pts (HR 1.86, 95% CI 1.21-2.86) but not in TEER pts (HR 1.33, 95% CI 0.79-2.23), although interaction testing demonstrated consistency between the two treatments  (Pint = 0.31). 

Conclusions

Worsening TR at 30 days occurred in ∼15% of pts in the COAPT trial whether they were treated with TEER or GDMT alone. DTRINC was associated with increased death and HFH during 2-year follow-up. Abstract Figure 1

Cost-effectiveness of transcatheter edge-to-edge repair in secondary mitral regurgitation

Background

Transcatheter edge-to-edge mitral valve repair (TMVr) improves symptoms and survival for patients with heart failure with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF) and severe secondary mitral regurgitation despite guideline-recommended medical therapy (GRMT). Whether TMVr is cost-effective from a UK National Health Service (NHS) perspective is unknown.

Methods

We used patient-level data from the Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients with Functional Mitral Regurgitation (COAPT) trial to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of TMVr +GRMT versus GRMT alone from an NHS perspective. Costs for the TMVr procedure were based on standard English tariffs and device costs. Subsequent costs were estimated based on data acquired during the trial. Health utilities were estimated using the Short-Form 6-Dimension Health Survey.

Results

Costs for the index procedural hospitalisation were £18 781, of which £16 218 were for the TMVr device. Over 2-year follow-up, TMVr reduced subsequent costs compared with GRMT (£10 944 vs £14 932, p=0.006), driven mainly by reductions in heart failure hospitalisations; nonetheless, total 2-year costs remained higher with TMVr (£29 165 vs £14 932, p<0.001). When survival, health utilities and costs were projected over a lifetime, TMVr was projected to increase life expectancy by 1.57 years and quality-adjusted life expectancy by 1.12 quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) at an incremental cost of £21 980, resulting in an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of £23 270 per QALY gained (after discounting). If the benefits of TMVr observed in the first 2 years were maintained without attenuation, the ICER improved to £12 494 per QALY.

Conclusions

For patients with HFrEF and severe secondary mitral regurgitation similar to those enrolled in COAPT, TMVr increases life expectancy and quality-adjusted life expectancy compared with GRMT at an ICER that represents good value from an NHS perspective.

Right Ventricular-Pulmonary Arterial Coupling in Patients With HF Secondary MR: Analysis From the COAPT Trial

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic impact of right ventricular (RV)-pulmonary arterial (PA) coupling in patients with heart failure (HF) with severe secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) enrolled in the COAPT (Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients With Functional Mitral Regurgitation) trial.

BACKGROUND

RV contractile function and PA pressures influence outcomes in patients with SMR, but the impact of RV-PA coupling in patients randomized to transcatheter edge-to-edge repair (TEER) vs guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) is unknown.

METHODS

RV-PA coupling was assessed by the ratio of RV free wall longitudinal strain derived from speckle-tracking echocardiography and noninvasively measured RV systolic pressure. Advanced RV-PA uncoupling was defined as RV free wall longitudinal strain/RV systolic pressure ≤0.5%/mm Hg. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality or HF hospitalization at 24-month follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 372 patients underwent speckle-tracking echocardiography, and 70.2% had advanced RV-PA uncoupling. By multivariable analysis, advanced RV-PA uncoupling was strongly associated with an increased risk for the primary 24-month endpoint of death or HF hospitalization (HR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.31-2.66; P = 0.0005). A similar association was present for all-cause mortality alone (HR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.54-4.29; P = 0.0003). The impact of RV-PA uncoupling was consistent in patients randomized to TEER and GDMT alone. Compared with GDMT alone, the addition of TEER improved 2-year outcomes in patients with (48.0% vs 74.8%; HR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.37-0.71) and those without (28.8% vs 47.8%; HR: 0.51; 95% CI: 0.27-0.97) advanced RV-PA uncoupling (P_interaction = 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS

In the COAPT trial, advanced RV dysfunction assessed by RV-PA uncoupling was a powerful predictor of 2-year adverse outcomes in patients with HF and SMR. (Cardiovascular Outcomes Assessment of the MitraClip Percutaneous Therapy for Heart Failure Patients With Functional Mitral Regurgitation [The COAPT Trial]; NCT01626079).

Outcomes of transcatheter mitral valve repair for secondary mitral regurgitation by severity of left ventricular dysfunction

BACKGROUND

In the COAPT trial, transcatheter mitral valve repair with the MitraClip plus maximally tolerated guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) improved clinical outcomes compared with GDMT alone in symptomatic patients with heart failure (HF) and 3+ or 4+ secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) due to left ventricular (LV) dysfunction.

AIMS

In this COAPT substudy, we sought to evaluate two-year outcomes in HF patients with reduced LV ejection fraction (HFrEF; LVEF ≤40%) versus preserved LVEF (HFpEF; LVEF >40%) and in those with severe (LVEF ≤30%) versus moderate (LVEF >30%) LV dysfunction.

METHODS

The principal effectiveness outcome was the two-year rate of death from any cause or HF hospitalisations (HFH). Subgroup analysis with interaction testing was performed according to baseline LVEF; 472 patients (82.1%) had HFrEF (mean LVEF 28.0%±6.2%; range 12% to 40%) and 103 (17.9%) had HFpEF (mean LVEF 46.6%±4.9%; range 41% to 65%), while 292 (50.7%) had severely depressed LVEF (LVEF ≤30%; mean LVEF 23.9%±3.8%) and 283 (49.3%) had moderately depressed LVEF (LVEF >30%; mean LVEF 39.0%±6.8%).

RESULTS

The two-year rate of death or HFH was 56.7% in patients with HFrEF and 53.4% with HFpEF (HR 1.16, 95% CI: 0.86-1.57, p=0.32). MitraClip reduced the two-year rate of death or HFH in patients with HFrEF (HR 0.50, 95% CI: 0.39-0.65) and HFpEF (HR 0.60, 95% CI: 0.35-1.05), pint=0.55. MitraClip was consistently effective in reducing the individual endpoints of mortality and HFH, improving MR severity, quality of life, and six-minute walk distance in patients with HFrEF, HFpEF, LVEF ≤30%, and LVEF >30%.

CONCLUSIONS

In the COAPT trial, among patients with HF and 3+ or 4+ SMR who remained symptomatic despite maximally tolerated GDMT, the MitraClip was consistently effective in improving survival and health status in patients with severe and moderate LV dysfunction and those with preserved LVEF.

1386Reduction of mitral regurgitation in patients with heart failure and secondary mitral regurgitation: relationship between changes in brain natriuretic peptide and outcomes from the COAPT trial

Background

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a well-established predictor of hospitalization and death in patients with heart failure (HF). In the COAPT trial, treatment of patients with HF and secondary mitral regurgitation (SMR) with transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVr) reduced the 2-year rates of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization compared with maximally-tolerated guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) alone. Whether these improvements in outcomes were reflected in serial changes in BNP levels has not been reported.

Purpose

Herein, we report the first results of serial changes in BNP levels by treatment group in patients from the COAPT trial.

Methods

614 patients with HF and 3+ or 4+ SMR were randomized 1:1 to TMVr + GDMT or GDMT alone. Key inclusion criteria included NYHA functional class II-IVa (ambulatory), ischemic or non-ischemic cardiomyopathy with LVEF 20%-50% and LVESD ≤70 mm. Baseline BNP or NT-proBNP levels were drawn at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. For the present analysis NT-proBNP (pg/ml) values were converted to BNP values (pg/ml) using a ratio of 7 to 1.

Results

At baseline, mean values of BNP were not significantly different between treatment groups (945 pg/ml vs. 964 pg/ml in the TMVr + GDMT and GDMT groups respectively, p=0.84). At 6 months, mean values of BNP in the TMVr + GDMT group were significantly lower than in the GDMT alone group (690 pg/ml vs 893 pg/ml, p=0.02) but not at 12 months (584 pg/ml vs. 728 pg/ml, p=0.22). By analysis of covariance, BNP decreased to a greater degree after TMVr + GDMT compared with GDMT only at both 6 and 12 months (least squares mean differences of −121 pg/ml and −166 pg/ml respectively, both p<0.05) (Figure).

Change in BNP level from baseline

Conclusions

In patients with HF and 3+ or 4+ SMR enrolled in the COAPT trial, reduction of SMR with TMVr reduced BNP compared with maximally-tolerated GDMT only, a change which paralleled the reductions noted in all-cause mortality and HF hospitalizations with TMVr.

Acknowledgement/Funding

Abbott

Health care utilization and mortality associated with heart failure-related admissions among cancer patients

AIMS

Heart failure (HF) outcomes continue to improve with widespread use of new therapies. Concurrently, cancer survival has dramatically improved. Yet whether cancer patients share similar strategies and outcomes of inpatient HF treatment to those without HF is unknown. We sought to assess the contemporary impacts of cancer on inpatient HF outcomes over time.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The retrospective National Inpatient Sample (2003-15) and National Readmissions Database (2013-14) registries were queried for adults admitted for HF and stratified for cancer status, excluding cases of metastatic disease. Temporal trends in HF admissions, hospital charge rates, length of hospitalization, HF-related procedure utilization, in-hospital mortality, and hospital readmissions were analysed. Over 13 years of follow-up, there were 12 769 077 HF admissions (mean age 73 years, 50.8% female, 30.8% non-White), among which 1 413 287 (11%) had a co-morbid cancer diagnosis. Cancer patients were older, were predominantly male, and tended to be smokers. Over time, HF admission rates among cancer patients increased, despite a concurrent decrease among patients without cancer (P < 0.0001). After propensity matching, in-hospital mortality was significantly higher among cancer HF patients (5.1% vs. 2.9%, P < 0.0001). Additionally, HF-related procedure utilization was disproportionately lower among cancer patients (0.30 vs. 0.35 procedures/HF hospitalization, P < 0.001); the presence of cancer was associated with increased costs, length of hospitalizations, and all-cause readmissions, but fewer HF readmissions (P < 0.0001, each).

CONCLUSIONS

While the incidence of HF hospitalizations has increased among cancer patients, they do not appear to share the same rates of advanced HF care, readmissions trends, or reductions in in-hospital mortality. Future studies targeting modifiable factors related to these differences are needed.