Heart failure in patients with COPD exacerbations: Looking below the tip of the iceberg

Patients surviving hospitalization for exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (ECOPD) are at heightened risk of cardiovascular events. Heart failure is often underdiagnosed and undertreated in COPD; better care could improve outcome. We aimed to capture contemporary investigation and management of heart failure (HF) in patients hospitalized with ECOPD.

In two UK hospitals, patients admitted with ECOPD between 2017 and 2020 were retrospectively identified. Baseline characteristics between known, newly diagnosed and no HF were compared using analysis of variance and chi-squared test. Impact of HF on mortality was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional-hazards regression. Sensitivity and specificity of NT-proBNP for diagnosing HF at recognized thresholds were reported.

On admission, 94/476 (19.7%) patients had known HF. Among remaining patients, 89/382 (23.3%) were investigated within 100 days of admission, confirming HF in 38. Of 33 patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), 18 (54.5%) were prescribed ACE-inhibitor and B-blocker. 77/132 patients (58.3%) with HF and 108/344 patients (31.4%) without HF died (adjusted HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.46-2.82, p < 0.001) during follow up (median 11.7 months). At ≥400 pg/mL, NPV and PPV of NT-proBNP for the diagnosis of HF were 77.8% and 82.8%.

A new diagnosis of HF was made in over 40% investigated. In patients with coexistent HF, undertreatment was common and 1-year mortality exceeded 50%. NT-proBNP may help identify patients who need cardiovascular functional imaging. Research to improve HF diagnosis and treatment in hospitalized ECOPD is urgently needed.