Sex Differences in Left Ventricular Cavity Dilation and Outcomes in Acute Heart Failure Patients With Left...

In this study we evaluated the influence of sex on the left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (LVEDD) and adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure (HF) with a reduced ejection fraction (EF).

Among the 4842 patients enrolled in the Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Syndromes (ATTEND) registry, 2367 patients (1607 men and 760 women) discharged alive after hospitalization for acute decompensated HF with a reduced EF (defined as a left ventricular EF < 50%) were investigated to assess the association of sex and LVEDD with the primary end point (all-cause death and readmission for HF after discharge). Men and women were separately divided into LVEDD quartiles at discharge (men: LVEDD ≤ 54, 55-60, 61-65, and ≥ 66 mm; women: LVEDD ≤ 48, 49-54, 55-60, and ≥ 61 mm). The median follow-up period after discharge was 524 (range, 385-785) days.

Occurrence of the primary end point did not differ between men and women (37.0% vs 37.2%; P = 0.921). After adjustment for multiple comorbidities including left ventricular EF, men with an LVEDD of 61-65 and ≥ 66 mm had a significantly higher risk of the primary end point than men with an LVEDD ≤ 54 mm, indicating a positive association between a larger LVEDD and adverse outcomes. In contrast, in women, the adjusted risk of the primary end point was comparable among the LVEDD quartiles.

Men and women with acute decompensated HF and a reduced EF might show important differences in relation to the association between left ventricular cavity dilation and outcomes.