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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 significance of hemoglobin levels in patients with heart failure]
Josep Lupón1, Agustín Urrutia, Beatriz González
1Unitat d'Insuficiència Cardíaca, Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain. jlupon@ns.hugtip.scs.es
Insights
Low hemoglobin (Hb) levels in heart failure (HF) patients predict higher mortality and hospital admissions within one year. Anemia (Hb < 12 g/dL) is common and independently signals poor prognosis in HF care.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hematology
- Clinical Medicine
Context:
- Heart failure (HF) management involves predicting patient outcomes.
- Hemoglobin (Hb) levels are routinely measured in clinical practice.
- The prognostic value of Hb in HF patients requires further elucidation.
Purpose:
- To assess the prognostic significance of plasma hemoglobin (Hb) levels.
- To evaluate the association of Hb with 1-year mortality and heart failure (HF)-related hospital admissions.
- To determine the prevalence and prognostic impact of anemia in an HF cohort.
Summary:
- Plasma Hb levels were analyzed in 337 HF outpatients.
- Lower Hb levels strongly correlated with increased 1-year mortality and HF-related hospital admissions.
- Anemia (Hb < 12 g/dL), present in 30% of patients, was an independent predictor of adverse outcomes.
Impact:
- Identifies hemoglobin as a crucial prognostic marker in heart failure.
- Highlights the high prevalence and independent prognostic value of anemia in HF patients.
- Informs clinical practice regarding risk stratification and management strategies for HF patients with anemia.
Introduction And Objectives:
To evaluate the prognostic significance of hemoglobin (Hb) levels in terms of 1-year mortality and hospital admissions due to heart failure (HF) during the first year of follow-up after the first visit to an outpatient HF unit.
Patients And Method:
Survival status and HF-related hospital admission rate at 1 year were analyzed for 337 patients admitted between August 2001 and March 2003. Plasma Hb level was measured at the first visit to the unit.
Results:
28 patients (8%) died and there were 158 HF-related hospital admissions in 66 patients. Plasma Hb level correlated strongly with survival at 1 year, and was 13.0 +/- 1.7 g/dL in patients who were alive after this time, versus 11.7 +/- 1.6 g/dL (P < .001) in patients who died. Plasma Hb level also correlated with HF-related need for hospital admission, and was 13.1 +/- 1.7 g/dL in patients who were not hospitalized, versus 12.2 +/- 1.7 g/dL (P < .001) in patients with at least one hospital admission. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis plasma Hb level remained statistically associated both with 1-year survival and with the need for HF-related hospital admission. On the basis of a cutoff value for anemia of Hb < 12 g/dL, 30% of the patients had anemia. One-year mortality was 17% in patients with anemia and 5% in patients without anemia (P < .001). Among patients without anemia, 31% had at least one HF-related hospital admission, whereas only a 15% of the patients without anemia needed to be hospitalized for HF (P = .001).
Conclusions:
Plasma Hb levels correlated inversely with mortality and with HF-related hospital admissions at 1 year. The prevalence of anemia (Hb < 12 g/dL) in the population with HF studied here was high and had independent prognostic value.
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