Validation of heart failure quality of life tool and usage to predict all-cause mortality in acute heart failure in Uganda: the Mbarara heart failure registry (MAHFER).

BACKGROUND: The health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important treatment goal that could serve as low-cost prognostication tool in resource poor settings. We sought to validate the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) and evaluate its use as a predictor of 3 months all-cause mortality among heart failure participants in rural Uganda. METHODS: The Mbarara Heart Failure Registry Cohort study observes heart failure patients during hospital stay and in the community in rural Uganda. Participants completed health failure evaluations and HRQoL questionnaires at enrollment, 1 and 3 months of follow-up. We used Cronbach's alpha coefficients to define internal consistency, intraclass correlation coefficients as a reliability coefficient, and Cox proportional hazard models to predict the risk of 3 months all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Among the 195 participants who completed HRQoL questionnaires, the mean age was 52 (standard deviation (SD) 21.4) years, 68% were women and 29% reported history of hypertension. The KCCQ had excellent internal consistency (87% Cronbach alpha) but poor reliability. Independent predictors of all-cause mortality within 3 months included: worse overall KCCQ score (Adjusted Hazard ratio (AHR) 2.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1, 8.1), highest asset ownership (AHR 3.6, 95% CI 1.2, 10.8), alcoholic drinks per sitting (AHR per 1 drink 1.4, 95% CI 1.0, 1.9), New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class IV heart failure (AHR 2.6, 95% CI 1.3, 5.4), estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 30 to 59 ml/min/1.73 m2 (AHR 3.4, 95% CI 1.1, 10.8), and eGFR less than 15 ml/min/1.73 m2 (AHR 2.7, 95% CI 1.0, 7.1), each 1 pg/mL increase in Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) (AHR, 1.0, 95% CI 1.0, 1.0), and each 1 ng/mL increase in Creatine-Kinase MB isomer (CKMB) (AHR 1.0, 95% CI 1.0, 1.1). CONCLUSION: The KCCQ showed excellent internal consistency. Worse overall KCCQ score, highest asset ownership, increasing alcoholic drink per sitting, NYHA class IV, decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate, BNP, and CKMB predicted all-cause mortality at 3 months. The KCCQ could be an additional low-cost tool to aid in the prognostication of acute heart failure patients.

Incidence and predictors of 6 months mortality after an acute heart failure event in rural Uganda: The Mbarara Heart Failure Registry (MAHFER).

OBJECTIVE: We sought to estimate the incidence and predictors of all-cause mortality 6 months after heart failure hospitalization in Uganda. METHODS: Mbarara Heart Failure Registry is a cohort of patients hospitalized with a clinical diagnosis of heart failure at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda. We measured serum electrolytes, cardiac markers, and echocardiograms. All participants were followed until death or end of 6 months. We used Fine and Gray models to estimate the incidence and predictors all-cause mortality. RESULTS: A total of 215 participants were enrolled, 141 (66%) were women, and mean age 53 (standard deviation 22) years. Nineteen (9%) had diabetes, 40 (19%) had HIV, and 119 (55%) had hypertension. The overall incidence of all-cause mortality was 3.58 (95% CI 2.92, 4.38) per 1000 person-days. Men had higher incidence of death compared to women (4.02 vs 3.37 per 1000 person-days). The incidence of all-cause mortality during hospitalization was almost twice that of in the community (27.5 vs 14.77 per 1000 person-days). In adjusted analysis, increasing age, NYHA class IV, decreasing renal function, smoking, each unit increase in serum levels of Potassium, BNP, and Creatine kinase-MB predicted increased incidence of 6 months all-cause death whereas taking beta-blockers and having an index admission on a weekend compared to a week day predicted survival. CONCLUSIONS AND INTERPRETATION: There is a high incidence of all-cause mortality occurring in-hospital among patients hospitalized with heart failure in rural Uganda. Heart failure directed therapies should be instituted to curb heart failure-related mortality.

PERSISTENT ELEVATION OF NEUTROPHIL/LYMPHOCYTE RATIO ASSOCIATED WITH NEW ONSET ATRIAL FIBRILLATION FOLLOWING PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION FOR ACUTE ST SEGMENT ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence suggests that inflammation plays an important role in initiation and maintaining of atrial fibrillation (AF). The Neutrophil to Lymphocyte (N/L) Ratio is an easily derived and readily available parameter that has emerged as marker of inflammation with predictive and prognostic value. We investigated the association between N/L ratio and incidence of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI. METHODS: This cross sectional descriptive study was carried out at New York Hospital Queens. We retrospectively analysed clinical, hematologic and angiographic data of 290 patients who underwent coronary angiography with stent placement for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction between 2008-2011. RESULTS: Study cohort of 290 patients had mean age 63.3 +/- 13.0 years consisting of 81.4% male. The N/L ratio was measured at time points: <6 hours precatheterization, <12, 48 and 96 hours post catheterization. Patients who developed AF (n=40, 13.8%), had higher post catheterization N/L ratios at 48 hours (median 5.23 vs. 3.00, p=0.05) and 96 hours (median 4.67 vs. 3.56, p=0.03), with no differences in the immediate pre and post procedural measurements, <6 hours pre catheterization (median 2.49 vs. 2.82, p=0.467) and <12 hours post catheterization (median 5.93 vs. 5.03, p=0.741) respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, these findings support an inflammatory aetiology contributing to new onset AF following percutaneous coronary intervention for acute STEMI. Further studies are warranted to elucidate these findings.