Heart failure and anemia: Effects on prognostic variables

- Anemia is frequent in HF patients.
- Little is known on how to manage HF prognostic parameters in anemic HF patients.
- Cardiopulmonary exercise evaluation can be safely performed in anemic HF patients.
- Cardiopulmonary exercise provides prognostic information in anemic HF patients.
- However VE/VCO2 slope loses its prognostic power in patients with Hb < 11.0 g/dL.

BackgroundAnemia is frequent in heart failure (HF), and it is associated with higher mortality. The predictive power of established HF prognostic parameters in anemic HF patients is unknown.MethodsClinical, laboratory, echocardiographic and cardiopulmonary-exercise-test (CPET) data were analyzed in 3913 HF patients grouped according to hemoglobin (Hb) values. 248 (6%), 857 (22%), 2160 (55%) and 648 (17%) patients had very low (< 11 g/dL), low (11-12 for females, 11-13 for males), normal (12-15 for females, 13-15 for males) and high (> 15) Hb, respectively.ResultsMedian follow-up was 1363 days (606-1883). CPETs were always performed safely. Hb was related to prognosis (Hazard ratio (HR) = 0.864). No prognostic difference was observed between normal and high Hb groups. Peak oxygen consumption (VO2), ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope), plasma sodium concentration, ejection fraction (LVEF), kidney function and Hb were independently related to prognosis in the entire population. Considering Hb groups separately, peakVO2 (very low Hb HR = 0.549, low Hb HR = 0.613, normal Hb HR = 0.618, high Hb HR = 0.542) and LVEF (very low Hb HR = 0.49, low Hb HR = 0.692, normal Hb HR = 0.697, high Hb HR = 0.694) maintained their prognostic roles. High VE/VCO2 slope was associated with poor prognosis only in patients with low and normal Hb.ConclusionsAnemic HF patients have a worse prognosis, but CPET can be safely performed. PeakVO2 and LVEF, but not VE/VCO2 slope, maintain their prognostic power also in HF patients with Hb < 11 g/dL, suggesting CPET use and a multiparametric approach in HF patients with low Hb. However, the prognostic effect of an anemia-oriented follow-up is unknown.