New Incremental Model for Predicting Mortality in Pre-Capillary Pulmonary Hypertension

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Hematology

Background:

• Pulmonary hypertension (PH) requires accessible prognostic markers for right ventricular (RV) dysfunction and survival.
• Current markers often lack ease of acquisition or direct correlation with RV status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the association between red cell distribution width (RDW) and clinical/echocardiographic parameters in pre-capillary PH.
• To develop a mortality prediction model for pre-capillary PH using RDW.

Main Methods:

• An observational, longitudinal, prospective study from May 2019 to December 2022.
• Thirty-four pre-capillary PH patients underwent echocardiography and complete blood count.
• RDW was categorized as normal (<14.5%) or altered (≥14.5%).

Main Results:

• Elevated RDW correlated with lower SpO2, increased RV strain, and pericardial effusion.
• Patients with higher RDW showed significantly shorter overall survival and were mortality predictors.
• A predictive model combining RDW, RV strain, and SpO2 demonstrated superior mortality prediction accuracy.

Conclusions:

• RDW offers valuable insights into pre-capillary PH severity, linking to RV dysfunction.
• A predictive model incorporating RDW, RV strain, and SpO2 is optimal for forecasting mortality in PH.