The analysis of left atrial function predicts the severity of functional impairment in chronic heart failure: The FLASH multicenter study. (1st July 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cameli, Matteo; Sciaccaluga, Carlotta; Loiacono, Ferdinando; Simova, Iana; Miglioranza, Marcelo H.; Nistor, Dan; Bandera, Francesco; Emdin, Michele; Giannoni, Alberto; Ciccone, Marco M.; Devito, Fiorella; Guaricci, Andrea Igoren; Favale, Stefano; Lisi, Matteo; Mandoli, Giulia E.; Henein, Michael; Mondillo, Sergio
• Is Part Of: International journal of cardiology. Volume 286(2019)
• Page Start: 87
• Page End: 91
• Publication Date: 2019-07-01
• Subjects: HRQoL Health-related quality of life -- HF heart failure -- LA left atrium -- LAS left atrial strain -- LASr left atrial strain during reservoir phase -- LV left ventricle -- LV-GLS left ventricular global longitudinal strain -- LVEF left ventricular ejection fraction -- MLHFQ Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire -- NT-proBNP N-terminal fragment of proB-type natriuretic peptide -- QoL Quality of Life -- STE Speckle Tracking Echocardiography; Heart failure -- Left atrial volume -- Left Atrial Function -- Speckle tracking echocardiography -- LASr; Cardiology -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.12
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2019.03.063
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0167-5273

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Heart failure (HF) patients present with a variety of symptoms at different stages of the disease, but the underlying pathophysiology still is unclear. Left atrial (LA) function might be tightly related to changes in patients' symptoms, more than morphological and anatomic heart features, measurable by ultrasound imaging technique. This study sought to investigate the correlation between LA function, assessed by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE) and Quality of Life (QoL), assessed by the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ), in patients with chronic HF. Methods: Clinically stable HF outpatients (n = 369) were enrolled from 7 different international centres and underwent echocardiographic studies. Patients >75 years old and with atrial fibrillation were excluded. LA strain during reservoir phase (LASr) by STE was measured in all subjects by averaging the 6 atrial segments. LA size was assessed using biplane volume and 4-chamber area acquisition. Results: LASr strongly correlated with both MLHFQ total score (r = −0.87; p < 0.0001). Less significant correlations between MLHFQ and either LA volume or left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) were found (r = 0.28; p = 0.05 and r = 0.30; p = 0.01, respectively). No significant correlation was found between MLHFQ score, LVEF (r = −0.15; p = ns), E/E' ratio (r = 0.19; p = ns), and E/A ratio (r = 0.20; p = ns). Among all echocardiographic parameters analyzed, LASr presented the highest diagnostic accuracy (AUC = 0.74) in predicting a poor QoL (>45), when compared with LV-GLS (AUC = 0.61), LA volume (AUC = 0.54) and E/e' ratio (AUC = 0.51). Conclusions: In patients with HF, irrespective of etiology, LA function strongly correlates with patients' QoL. Highlights: In heart failure, left atrial reservoir strain inversely correlated with MLHFQ There was a weak correlation between left atrial volume and MLHFQ There was no relationship between MLHFQ and LVEF and E/E' ratio STE is a useful tool to evaluate atrial dysfunction with a clinical impact