Noninvasive Screening for Elevated LVEDP and Health Status in Outpatients at Risk for Heart Failure

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Primary Care Medicine
• Diagnostic Screening

Background:

• Heart failure (HF) is often diagnosed late in primary care due to nonspecific symptoms.
• This leads to patients presenting with advanced disease, impacting their quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the diagnostic value of noninvasive left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) screening in high-risk outpatients.
• To characterize the health status of patients identified with elevated LVEDP.

Main Methods:

• Screened 2,040 outpatients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), or suspected HF using the Vivio System.
• Identified patients with LVEDP >18 mm Hg and assessed their health status using the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire Overall Summary (KCCQ-OS).

Main Results:

• 38.5% of screened patients had elevated LVEDP; older age, female sex, and CKD were associated factors.
• Among those with positive screening, 26.5% had KCCQ-OS scores indicating significant functional impairment (NYHA class II-IV).

Conclusions:

• Noninvasive LVEDP assessment combined with KCCQ can identify patients needing further heart failure evaluation.
• This approach revealed significant health status impairment in a substantial portion of high-risk patients.
• Further research should explore the clinical impact of these screening strategies on patient outcomes.