Low pulse pressure as a predictor of death in patients with mild to advanced heart failure

The prognostic value of pulse pressure has been investigated in heart-failure patients. Low pulse pressure in advanced heart failure and high pulse pressure in mild heart failure have been separately linked to increased mortality rates. We prospectively investigated an association between pulse pressure and 2-year cardiovascular death in an entire heart-failure population. We prospectively enrolled 225 heart-failure patients (New York Heart Association [NYHA] functional class, I-IV; mean age, 56.5 +/- 12.3 yr; 188 men). The patients' blood pressures were measured in accordance with recommended guidelines. Pulse pressures were calculated as the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure values. The patients were monitored for a mean period of 670 +/- 42 days for the occurrence of cardiovascular death. All patients were divided into quartiles according to their pulse pressures (<35, 35-45, 46-55, and >55 mmHg). Pulse pressure decreased as NYHA class worsened (P <0.001). Patients in the <35-mmHg quartile had the lowest plasma sodium concentrations, left ventricular ejection fractions, and systolic myocardial velocities upon echocardiography; and the highest left ventricular dimensions, early diastolic/late diastolic filling velocity ratios, and peak early/peak late diastolic myocardial velocity ratios. Pulse pressure independently predicted death in the patients with advanced heart failure and in the entire population. Upon receiver operating characteristic analysis, a 30-mmHg cutoff value for pulse pressure predicted death with 83.7% sensitivity and 79.7% specificity. Pulse pressure is easily calculated and enables the prediction of cardiovascular death in patients with mild to advanced heart failure. Pulse pressure can be used reliably as a prognostic marker in clinical practice.