Left atrial size and heart failure hospitalization in patients with diastolic dysfunction and preserved ejection fraction

Context: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome associated with diastolic function abnormalities. It remains unclear which factors, if any, can predict the transition from asymptomatic diastolic dysfunction to an overt symptomatic phase. Materials and Methods: Patients hospitalized with suspected heart failure between January 2012 and November 2014 with a transthoracic echocardiogram demonstrating preserved systolic function were screened (n = 425). Patients meeting the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association definition for HFpEF (n = 40) were matched in a 1:1 fashion to individuals admitted for hypertensive urgency with diastolic dysfunction and neither pulmonary edema nor history of heart failure (n = 40). The clinical records and echocardiograms of all eighty patients included in this retrospective study were reviewed. Results: Patients with HFpEF had higher body mass index (BMI), creatinine, beta-blocker use, and Grade 2 diastolic dysfunction when compared to the hypertensive control population. Echocardiographic analysis demonstrated higher right ventricular systolic pressures, left ventricular mass index, E/A, and E/e' in patients with HFpEF. Similarly, differences were observed in most left atrial (LA) parameters including larger LA maximum and minimum volume indices, as well as smaller LA-emptying fractions in the heart failure group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed LA minimum volume index (odds ratio [OR]: 1.23 [1.09–1.38], P = 0.001) to have the strongest association with heart failure hospitalization after adjustment for creatinine (OR: 7.09 [1.43–35.07], P = 0.016) and BMI (OR: 1.11 [0.99–1.25], P = 0.074). Conclusion: LA minimum volume index best correlated with HFpEF in this patient cohort with diastolic dysfunction.