Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction: Right ventricle (RV)-pulmonary artery (PA) coupling reflects functional adaptation of RV to afterload. Impaired RV-PA coupling is associated with worse outcomes in patients with pulmonary hypertension. However, the association between RV-PA coupling and outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is not well established.
Objective: To assess the association between RV-PA coupling and outcomes in patients with HFpEF and determine an optimal cutpoint of the TAPSE/RVSP ratio for prediction of adverse events.
Methods: Participants with a diagnosis of HFpEF were enrolled at the University of Toledo Medical Center from March 2012 and were followed until August 2023. The ratio of tricuspid annular plain systolic excursion (TAPSE) to right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) on echocardiogram was used as a measure of RV-PA coupling. The primary endpoint was death or heart failure hospitalization. ROC analysis was performed to determine an optimal cutpoint point for TAPSE/RVSP. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to assess the association between TAPSE/RVSP and outcomes.
Results: 83 participants (age 68.69 ± 10.72, 67.5% female) with HFpEF and available echocardiogram data were enrolled in the study. The median TAPSE/RVSP was 0.41. Death or heart failure hospitalization occurred in 51 (56.6%) individuals. Using ROC curve analysis, we identified the optimal cutpoint of TAPSE/RVSP of 0.31 which had a sensitivity of 57% and specificity of 88% for predicting mortality (AUC 0.756, 0.622-0.889). TAPSE/RVSP less than 0.31 was associated with higher risk of death or heart failure (HF) hospitalization (HR=2.61, CI=1.28-5.33, p= 0.008), death (HR=3.40, CI=1.34-8.64, p= 0.01), and HF hospitalization (HR=2.45, CI=1.06-5.68, p= 0.03).
Conclusion: Worse RV-PA coupling was associated with worse outcomes in individuals with HFpEF. The TAPSE/RVSP cutpoint of <0.31 had a good specificity for prediction of adverse events including death or HF hospitalization.