Abstract
Background
A subset of patients identified with heart failure (HF) with decreased ejection fraction (HFrEF) show a partial improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Information regarding the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and outlook for patients with HF exhibiting partially improved ejection fraction (HFpimpEF) is scarce.
Methods
Among 3691 adults HF patients with had two LVEF echocardiograms that were at least three months apart in Yinzhou District, 350 of these were initially categorized as HFrEF (LVEF ≤ 40%). Subtypes included pHFrEF (LVEF ≤ 40), HFpimpEF (LVEF 41–49%, improvement < 10%), and HFimpEF (echocardiogram > 40, LVEF improvement ≥ 10%). The main outcome was mortality or first HF-related readmission.
Results
During a median follow-up of 15.6 months, 62 (17.7%) were HFpimpEF. Using multivariable Cox models, HFpimpEF demonstrated a lower risk of readmission or death than pHFrEF after adjustments compared to pHFrEF (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.55; 95% CI, 0.31–0.96; P = 0.037).
Conclusions
Given its unique clinical presentation, HFpimpEF is supposed to be recognized as a distinct HF subtype. This subtype is characterized by a partial improvement in LVEF and generally has a more favorable prognosis compared to pHFrEF.