CA125 outperforms NT-proBNP in acute heart failure with severe tricuspid regurgitation.

BACKGROUND: In acute heart failure (AHF) with right ventricular dysfunction, the roles of amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) are poorly understood, and functional tricuspid regurgitation (TR) severity is thought to indicate a poor prognosis. We examined the prognostic abilities of NT-proBNP and CA125 according to TR status among patients with AHF. METHODS: TR severity was assessed during index hospitalization (108 ± 24 h after admission) and classified as none/trivial, mild, moderate, or severe. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to assess how pre-discharge CA125 and NT-proBNP were associated with long-term all-cause mortality relative to TR severity. RESULTS: We prospectively included 2961 patients discharged following hospitalization for AHF (mean age 74 ± 11 years; 49.0% women; 51.8% with left ventricular ejection fraction >50%). Median NT-proBNP was 4823 ng/L (IQR: 2086-9183) and CA125 was 58.1 U/mL (IQR: 25-129). Severe TR was present in 300 patients (10.1%), and 1821 patients (61.5%) died (mean follow-up, 3.3 ± 3.2 years). Multivariate analysis revealed a differential prognostic effect across TR status for both biomarkers (p-value for both interactions<0.05). NT-proBNP was significantly linearly associated with mortality in non-severe TR (p < 0.001), but not in severe TR (p = 0.308). Higher CA125 values were significantly associated with mortality risk in all patients (HR: 1.09; 95% CI:1.03-1.14; p = 0.001), with a greater effect in those with severe TR (HR: 1.28; 98% CI:1.11-1.48; p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with AHF and severe TR, CA125 outperforms NT-proBNP in predicting long-term mortality. In AHF with right ventricular involvement, CA125 may be the preferred biomarker for risk stratification.

Relation of Low Lymphocyte Count to Frailty and its Usefulness as a Prognostic Biomarker in Patients >65 Years of Age With Acute Coronary Syndrome.

Low lymphocyte count, as a marker of inflammation and immunosuppression, may be useful for identifying frail patients. In this work, we aimed to evaluate the association between low-relative lymphocyte count (Lymph%) and frailty status in patients >65 years old with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), and whether Lymph% is associated with morbimortality beyond standard prognosticators and frailty. In this prospective observational study, we included 488 hospital survivors of an episode of an ACS >65 years old. Total and differential white blood cells and frailty status were assessed at discharge. Frailty was evaluated using the Fried score at discharge and defined as Fried≥3. The independent association between Lymph% and Fried≥3 was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression analysis. The associations between Lymph% with long-term all-cause mortality and recurrent admission were evaluated with Cox regression and shared frailty regression, respectively. The mean age of the sample was 78 ± 7 years and 41% were females. The median (interquartile range) of the Lymph% was 21% (15 to 27) and 41% showed Fried≥3. In multivariate analysis, Lymph% was inversely related to the odds of frailty with an exponential increase risk from values below 15% (p = 0.001). Likewise, Lymph% was inverse and independently associated with a higher risk of long-term mortality (p = 0.011), recurrent all-cause (p = 0.020), and cardiovascular readmissions (p = 0.024). In conclusion, in patients >65 years with a recent ACS, low Lymph% evaluated at discharge is associated with a higher risk of frailty. Low Lymph% was also associated with a higher risk of long-term mortality and recurrent admissions beyond standard prognosticators and Fried score.

Sex-differential effect of frailty on long-term mortality in elderly patients after an acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: The potential sex-differential effect of frailty in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) has not been well-evaluated. We sought to examine the sex-differential association between frailty status on long-term mortality in elderly patients with an ACS. METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a prospective observational single-center study that included 488 elderly patients (>65 years) hospitalized for ACS who survived the index hospitalization. Multivariate Cox regression was used to determine the association among the exposures (interaction of sex with Fried score and sex with Fried ≥ 3) and all-cause mortality. The mean age of the sample was 78 ±â€¯7 years; 41% were female and the median Fried score was higher in women [3 (2-3) vs. 2 (1-2) points, p < 0.001]. At a median follow-up of 3.12 years (IQR:1.38-5.13), 182 deaths (37.3%) were registered. The association of Fried ≥ 3 with mortality varied across sex (p-value for interaction = 0.022). In males, Fried ≥ 3 was independently associated with all-cause death (HR = 1.89; CI 95%:1.25-2.85, p = 0.003). However, it showed a neutral effect on women (HR = 0.92; CI 95%:0.57-1.49, p = 0.726). CONCLUSIONS: In this work, we found that the frailty status assessed by Fried score was independently associated with mortality in elderly males but not in females with ACS.