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Updated: Aug 30, 2026

Cutoff Value of Phase Angle by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis at Admission as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Heart Failure
Published on: June 10, 2025
[Prognostic evaluation in patients with heart failure]
Enrico Vizzardi1, Savina Nodari, Claudia Fiorina
1Cattedra e U.O. di Cardiologia, Università degli Studi, Brescia.
Insights
Heart failure is rising, with high mortality. Prognostic factors include clinical, hemodynamic, functional, biochemical, and electrophysiological patterns, aiding risk assessment and patient management.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
- Clinical Research
Context:
- Heart failure prevalence and mortality have significantly increased.
- Identifying prognostic predictors is crucial for patient management.
Purpose:
- To review various predictors of heart failure prognosis.
- To highlight the importance of clinical, hemodynamic, functional, biochemical, and electrophysiological parameters.
Summary:
- Clinical factors (age, sex, etiology), hemodynamic parameters (ejection fraction, cardiac output, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure), exercise capacity (maximum oxygen consumption, anaerobic threshold), and biochemical markers (noradrenaline, renin, aldosterone, natriuretic peptides) are key prognostic indicators.
- Electrophysiological patterns like heart rate variability, ventricular late potentials, and T-wave alternans are associated with arrhythmia-related mortality.
Impact:
- Provides a comprehensive overview of heart failure prognostic factors.
- Aids clinicians in assessing patient risk and tailoring treatment strategies.
- Informs future research directions in heart failure management.
Abstract:
The prevalence of heart failure has rapidly increased in the last decade and morbidity and mortality for this disease are high. Several predictors have a prognostic value in heart failure such as clinical, hemodynamic, functional, biochemical and electrophysiological patterns. The male sex, the old age and the etiology are known to be important clinical parameters and the left ventricular ejection fraction, the cardiac output and size and the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure represent important hemodynamic parameters. In recent years, exercise testing has been used for prognostic purposes and exercise capacity is an important component of the risk profile in heart failure by assessing the maximum oxygen consumption and the anaerobic threshold. Plasma levels of noradrenaline, renin, aldosterone and natriuretic peptides are related to the severity and prognosis of heart failure as well as heart rate variability, ventricular late potentials and T-wave alternans with regard to mortality due to arrhythmias.
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