Heart and kidney are closely related in the clinical syndrome of heart failure (HF). It is now sufficiently clear that renal dysfunction occurs frequently in all phenotypes of HF, and when present, ...it is associated with higher mortality and morbidity. While the pathophysiology is multifactorial, the most important factors are a reduced renal perfusion and venous congestion. Recent interest has focused on worsening renal function (WRF), a situation strongly related to mortality, but seemingly only when HF status deteriorates. Unfortunately, to date clinicians are unable to identify specifically those patients with a grim prognosis following WRF. Although much has been learned on cardiorenal interaction in HF, still more questions have been left unanswered. The coming decade should provide us with more dedicated epidemiologic, mechanistic, and controlled trials in HF patients with reduced renal function. An updated classification of the cardiorenal syndrome that incorporates recent evidence and points towards areas of interest and uncertainties, and areas where progress is needed could facilitate this process. Ultimately, this should lead to preventive and treatment strategies that can preserve renal function and associated outcome in patients with HF.
The current acute kidney injury (AKI) risk prediction model for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) National Cardiovascular Data ...Registry (NCDR) employed regression techniques. This study aimed to evaluate whether models using machine learning techniques could significantly improve AKI risk prediction after PCI.
We used the same cohort and candidate variables used to develop the current NCDR CathPCI Registry AKI model, including 947,091 patients who underwent PCI procedures between June 1, 2009, and June 30, 2011. The mean age of these patients was 64.8 years, and 32.8% were women, with a total of 69,826 (7.4%) AKI events. We replicated the current AKI model as the baseline model and compared it with a series of new models. Temporal validation was performed using data from 970,869 patients undergoing PCIs between July 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017, with a mean age of 65.7 years; 31.9% were women, and 72,954 (7.5%) had AKI events. Each model was derived by implementing one of two strategies for preprocessing candidate variables (preselecting and transforming candidate variables or using all candidate variables in their original forms), one of three variable-selection methods (stepwise backward selection, lasso regularization, or permutation-based selection), and one of two methods to model the relationship between variables and outcome (logistic regression or gradient descent boosting). The cohort was divided into different training (70%) and test (30%) sets using 100 different random splits, and the performance of the models was evaluated internally in the test sets. The best model, according to the internal evaluation, was derived by using all available candidate variables in their original form, permutation-based variable selection, and gradient descent boosting. Compared with the baseline model that uses 11 variables, the best model used 13 variables and achieved a significantly better area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.752 (95% confidence interval CI 0.749-0.754) versus 0.711 (95% CI 0.708-0.714), a significantly better Brier score of 0.0617 (95% CI 0.0615-0.0618) versus 0.0636 (95% CI 0.0634-0.0638), and a better calibration slope of observed versus predicted rate of 1.008 (95% CI 0.988-1.028) versus 1.036 (95% CI 1.015-1.056). The best model also had a significantly wider predictive range (25.3% versus 21.6%, p < 0.001) and was more accurate in stratifying AKI risk for patients. Evaluated on a more contemporary CathPCI cohort (July 1, 2015-March 31, 2017), the best model consistently achieved significantly better performance than the baseline model in AUC (0.785 versus 0.753), Brier score (0.0610 versus 0.0627), calibration slope (1.003 versus 1.062), and predictive range (29.4% versus 26.2%). The current study does not address implementation for risk calculation at the point of care, and potential challenges include the availability and accessibility of the predictors.
Machine learning techniques and data-driven approaches resulted in improved prediction of AKI risk after PCI. The results support the potential of these techniques for improving risk prediction models and identification of patients who may benefit from risk-mitigation strategies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
BACKGROUND:Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors improve heart failure–related outcomes. The mechanisms underlying these benefits are not well understood, but diuretic properties may contribute. ...Traditional diuretics such as furosemide induce substantial neurohormonal activation, contributing to the limited improvement in intravascular volume often seen with these agents. However, the proximal tubular site of action of the sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors may help circumvent these limitations.
METHODS:Twenty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic, stable heart failure completed a randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study of empagliflozin 10 mg daily versus placebo. Patients underwent an intensive 6-hour biospecimen collection and cardiorenal phenotyping at baseline and again after 14 days of study drug. After a 2-week washout, patients crossed over to the alternate therapy with the above protocol repeated.
RESULTS:Oral empagliflozin was rapidly absorbed as evidenced by a 27-fold increase in urinary glucose excretion by 3 hours (P<0.0001). Fractional excretion of sodium increased significantly with empagliflozin monotherapy versus placebo (fractional excretion of sodium, 1.2±0.7% versus 0.7±0.4%; P=0.001), and there was a synergistic effect in combination with bumetanide (fractional excretion of sodium, 5.8±2.5% versus 3.9±1.9%; P=0.001). At 14 days, the natriuretic effect of empagliflozin persisted, resulting in a reduction in blood volume (−208 mL interquartile range, −536 to 153 mL versus −14 mL interquartile range, −282 to 335 mL; P=0.035) and plasma volume (−138 mL, interquartile range, −379 to 154±453 mL; P=0.04). This natriuresis was not, however, associated with evidence of neurohormonal activation because the change in norepinephrine was superior (P=0.02) and all other neurohormones were similar (P<0.34) during the empagliflozin versus placebo period. Furthermore, there was no evidence of potassium wasting (P=0.20) or renal dysfunction (P>0.11 for all biomarkers), whereas both serum magnesium (P<0.001) and uric acid levels (P=0.008) improved.
CONCLUSIONS:Empagliflozin causes significant natriuresis, particularly when combined with loop diuretics, resulting in an improvement in blood volume. However, off-target electrolyte wasting, renal dysfunction, and neurohormonal activation were not observed. This favorable diuretic profile may offer significant advantage in the management of volume status in patients with heart failure and may represent a mechanism contributing to the superior long-term heart failure outcomes observed with these agents.
REGISTRATION:URLhttps://www.clinicaltrials.gov; Unique identifierNCT03027960.
SGLT2 (sodium-glucose cotransporter 2) inhibitors interfere with the reabsorption of glucose and sodium in the early proximal renal tubule, but the magnitude and duration of any ensuing natriuretic ...or diuretic effect are the result of an interplay between the degree of upregulation of SGLT2 and sodium-hydrogen exchanger 3, the extent to which downstream compensatory tubular mechanisms are activated, and (potentially) the volume set point in individual patients. A comprehensive review and synthesis of available studies reveals several renal response patterns with substantial variation across studies and clinical settings. However, the common observation is an absence of a large acute or chronic diuresis or natriuresis with these agents, either when given alone or combined with other diuretics. This limited response results from the fact that renal compensation to these drugs is rapid and nearly complete within a few days or weeks, preventing progressive volume losses. Nevertheless, the finding that fractional excretion of glucose and lithium (the latter being a marker of proximal sodium reabsorption) persists during long-term treatment with SGLT2 inhibitors indicates that pharmacological tolerance to the effects of these drugs at the level of the proximal tubule does not meaningfully occur. This persistent proximal tubular effect of SGLT2 inhibitors can be hypothesized to produce a durable improvement in the internal set point for volume homeostasis, which may become clinically important during times of fluid expansion. However, it is difficult to know whether a treatment-related change in the volume set point actually occurs or contributes to the effect of these drugs to reduce the risk of major heart failure events. SGLT2 inhibitors exert cardioprotective effects by a direct effect on cardiomyocytes that is independent of the presence of or binding to SGLT2 or the actions of these drugs on the proximal renal tubule. Nevertheless, changes in the volume set point mediated by SGLT2 inhibitors might potentially act cooperatively with the direct favorable molecular and cellular effects of these drugs on cardiomyocytes to mediate their benefits on the development and clinical course of heart failure.
Heart failure is characterized by pathologic hemodynamic derangements, including elevated cardiac filling pressures (“backward” failure), which may or may not coexist with reduced cardiac output ...(“forward” failure). Even when normal during unstressed conditions such as rest, hemodynamics classically become abnormal during stressors such as exercise in patients with heart failure. This has important upstream and downstream effects on multiple organ systems, particularly with respect to the lungs and kidneys. Hemodynamic abnormalities in heart failure are affected by processes that extend well beyond the cardiac myocyte, including important roles for pericardial constraint, ventricular interaction, and altered venous capacity. Hemodynamic perturbations have widespread effects across multiple heart failure phenotypes, ranging from reduced to preserved ejection fraction, acute to chronic disease, and cardiogenic shock to preserved perfusion states. In the lung, hemodynamic derangements lead to the development of abnormalities in ventilatory control and efficiency, pulmonary congestion, capillary stress failure, and eventually pulmonary vascular disease. In the kidney, hemodynamic perturbations lead to sodium and water retention and worsening renal function. Improved understanding of the mechanisms by which altered hemodynamics in heart failure affect the lungs and kidneys is needed in order to design novel strategies to improve clinical outcomes.
Patients with diabetes and recent worsening heart failure that had led to hospitalization were randomly assigned to receive sotagliflozin or placebo. At a median of 9 months, the total number of ...deaths from cardiovascular causes and hospitalizations and urgent visits for heart failure was significantly lower with sotagliflozin than with placebo.
Expansion of extracellular fluid volume is central to the pathophysiology of heart failure. Increased extracellular fluid leads to elevated intracardiac filling pressures, resulting in a ...constellation of signs and symptoms of heart failure referred to as congestion. Loop diuretics are one of the cornerstones of treatments for heart failure, but in contrast to other therapies, robust clinical trial evidence to guide the use of diuretics is sparse. A nuanced understanding of renal physiology and diuretic pharmacokinetics is essential for skillful use of diuretics in the management of heart failure in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Diuretic resistance, defined as an inadequate quantity of natriuresis despite an adequate diuretic regimen, is a major clinical challenge that generally portends a poor prognosis. In this review, the authors discuss the fundamental mechanisms and physiological principles that underlie the use of diuretic therapy and the available data on the optimal use of diuretics.
Appropriate interpretation of changes in markers of kidney function is essential during the treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Historically, kidney function was primarily assessed by serum ...creatinine and the calculation of estimated glomerular filtration rate. An increase in serum creatinine, also termed worsening renal function, commonly occurs in patients with heart failure, especially during acute heart failure episodes. Even though worsening renal function is associated with worse outcome on a population level, the interpretation of such changes within the appropriate clinical context helps to correctly assess risk and determine further treatment strategies. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly recognized that assessment of kidney function is more than just glomerular filtration rate alone. As such, a better evaluation of sodium and water handling by the renal tubules allows to determine the efficiency of loop diuretics (loop diuretic response and efficiency). Also, though neurohumoral blockers may induce modest deteriorations in glomerular filtration rate, their use is associated with improved long‐term outcome. Therefore, a better understanding of the role of cardio–renal interactions in heart failure in symptom development, disease progression and prognosis is essential. Indeed, perhaps even misinterpretation of kidney function is a leading cause of not attaining decongestion in acute heart failure and insufficient dosing of guideline‐directed medical therapy in general. This position paper of the Heart Failure Association Working Group on Cardio‐Renal Dysfunction aims at improving insights into the interpretation of renal function assessment in the different heart failure states, with the goal of improving heart failure care.
Overly aggressive diuresis leading to intravascular volume depletion has been proposed as a cause for worsening renal function during the treatment of decompensated heart failure. If diuresis occurs ...at a rate greater than extravascular fluid can refill the intravascular space, the concentration of such intravascular substances as hemoglobin and plasma proteins increases. We hypothesized that hemoconcentration would be associated with worsening renal function and possibly would provide insight into the relationship between aggressive decongestion and outcomes.
Subjects in the Evaluation Study of Congestive Heart Failure and Pulmonary Artery Catheterization Effectiveness trial limited data set with a baseline/discharge pair of hematocrit, albumin, or total protein values were included (336 patients). Baseline-to-discharge increases in these parameters were evaluated, and patients with >or=2 in the top tertile were considered to have evidence of hemoconcentration. The group experiencing hemoconcentration received higher doses of loop diuretics, lost more weight/fluid, and had greater reductions in filling pressures (P<0.05 for all). Hemoconcentration was strongly associated with worsening renal function (odds ratio, 5.3; P<0.001), whereas changes in right atrial pressure (P=0.36) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (P=0.53) were not. Patients with hemoconcentration had significantly lower 180-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.31; P=0.013). This relationship persisted after adjustment for baseline characteristics (hazard ratio, 0.16; P=0.001).
Hemoconcentration is significantly associated with measures of aggressive fluid removal and deterioration in renal function. Despite this relationship, hemoconcentration is associated with substantially improved survival. These observations raise the question of whether aggressive decongestion, even in the setting of worsening renal function, can positively affect survival.
Highlights • The validity of using changes in serum creatinine as surrogate endpoints for outcomes in heart failure was examined in 301 patients in the DOSE trial. • Decreases in serum creatinine, ...when incorrectly assumed to be linearly related to outcomes, were paradoxically associated with a substantially increased risk for adverse events. • Worsening in serum creatinine during the randomized intervention was not associated with an increase in adverse outcomes. • Improvement in renal function during the randomized intervention was strongly associated with poor outcomes. • The practice of using mild to moderate-sized changes in serum creatinine as an endpoint in heart failure clinical trials may be inappropriate.