Effect of systolic dysfunction and elevated left ventricular end
diastolic pressure on 3-year clinical outcomes in patients with atrial
fibrillation
Abstract
Objectives: Systolic and diastolic dysfunctions are related to adverse
clinical outcomes in patients with sinus rhythm. The aim of this study
was to clarify the prognostic significance of systolic and diastolic
dysfunctions in patients with chronic persistent atrial fibrillation
(AF). Methods: We evaluated data for 114 consecutive patients with
chronic AF who underwent measurement of LVEDP at our hospital between 1
March 2011 and 31 December 2014. In total, 114 consecutive patients with
chronic AF were divided into two groups according to the left
ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF): LVEF < 50 (reduced
ejection fraction, REF group) and LVEF ≥50 (preserved EF, PEF group).
The PEF group was further divided into two subgroups according to the
left ventricular end-diastolic filling pressure (LVEDP): LVEDP
>15 mmHg and LVEDP ≤ 15 mmHg. The 3-year clinical outcomes
were compared between the PEF and REF groups and the LVEDP ≥15 mmHg and
LVEDP <15 mmHg groups. Results: During the 3-year follow-up
period, the rate of heart failure (HF) hospitalisation and incidence of
AF with rapid ventricular rhythm (RVR) were higher in the REF group than
in the PEF group. Multivariate analysis revealed that REF was the only
significant predictor of HF hospitalisation (hazard ratio, 4.71; 95%
confidence interval, 1.48–15.02; p=0.009). Conclusions: Our
observations during a mid-term follow-up period revealed that systolic
dysfunction could be an important predictor of HF hospitalisation in
patients with AF. However, elevated LVEDP may not be associated with
mid-term adverse clinical outcomes in patients without systolic
dysfunction.