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Increased left atrial volume index predicts a poor prognosis in patients with heart failure

Harutoshi Tamura1, Tetsu Watanabe, Satoshi Nishiyama

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Nephrology, Yamagata University School of Medicine, Yamagata, Japan.

Journal of Cardiac Failure
|March 3, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Left atrial volume index (LAVI) can predict cardiac events in heart failure (HF) patients. Higher LAVI indicates increased risk, aiding in patient stratification for better HF management.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Echocardiography
  • Heart Failure Research

Background:

  • Left atrial volume index (LAVI) reflects left ventricular diastolic dysfunction.
  • Prognostic value of LAVI in heart failure (HF) requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prognostic value of LAVI in patients hospitalized for HF.
  • To determine if LAVI can predict cardiac events in HF patients.

Main Methods:

  • Transthoracic echocardiography in 146 HF patients.
  • Median follow-up of 448 days.
  • Cardiac events analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazard models.

Main Results:

  • Higher LAVI was observed in patients with cardiac events (56 ± 26 vs 44 ± 22 mL/m(2)).
  • Elevated LAVI (>53.3 mL/m(2)) correlated with the highest risk of cardiac events.
  • High LAVI independently predicted cardiac events (HR 1.427, P < .05).

Conclusions:

  • LAVI is a valuable tool for risk stratification in HF patients.
  • LAVI can help identify HF patients at higher risk for cardiac events.
Abstract

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