Red cell distribution width (RDW) is strongly associated with prognosis in cardiopulmonary disorders such as coronary artery disease, acute myocardial infarction, acute and chronic heart failure, and ...pulmonary hypertension. However, its prognostic significance in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the relation between admission RDW and early mortality in patients with acute PE. One hundred sixty-five patients with confirmed acute PE were included. Patients with previous treatment for anemia, malignancy, or chronic liver disease, those with dialysis treatment for chronic renal failure, and those who received erythrocyte suspension for any reason were excluded. A total of 136 consecutive patients with acute PE were evaluated prospectively. According to receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis, the optimal cut-off value of RDW to predict early mortality was >14.6%, with 95.2% sensitivity and 53% specificity. Patients were categorized prospectively as having unchanged (group 1) or increased (group 2) RDW on the basis of a cut-off value of 14.6%. The mean age of patients was 63 ± 15 years. The mean follow-up duration was 11 ± 7 days, and 21 patients died. Among these 21 patients, 1 (1.6%) was in group 1 and 20 (27%) were in group 2 (p <0.001). Increased RDW >14.6% on admission, age, presence of shock, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and creatinine level were found to have prognostic significance in univariate Cox proportional-hazards analysis. Only increased RDW >14.6% on admission (hazard ratio 15.465, p = 0.012) and the presence of shock (hazard ratio 9.354, p <0.001) remained associated with increased risk for acute PE-related early mortality in a multivariate Cox proportional-hazards model. In conclusion, high RDW was associated with worse hemodynamic parameters, and RDW seems to aid in the risk stratification of patients with acute PE.
Abstract Background Increased γ -glutamyl transferase (GGT) level is associated with increased oxidative stress, all-cause mortality, the development of cardiovascular disease, and metabolic ...syndrome. However, its role in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the relationship between GGT and early mortality in patients with acute PE. Methods A total of 127 consecutive patients with confirmed PE were evaluated. The optimal cutoff value of GGT to predict early mortality was measured as more than 55 IU/L with 94.4% sensitivity and 66.1% specificity. Patients with acute PE were categorized prospectively as having no increased (group I) or increased (group II) GGT based on a cutoff value. Results Of these 127 patients, 18 patients (14.2%) died during follow-up. Among these 18 patients, 1 (1.4%) patient was in group I, and 17 (30.9%) patients were in group II ( P < .001). γ -Glutamyl transferase level on admission, presence of shock, heart rate, oxygen saturation, right ventricular dilatation/hypokinesia, main pulmonary artery involvement, troponin I, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and creatinine levels were found to have prognostic significance in univariate analysis. In the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, GGT level on admission (hazard ratio HR, 1.015; P = .017), presence of shock (HR, 15.124; P = .005), age (HR, 1.107; P = .010), and heart rate (HR, 1.101; P = .032) remained associated with an increased risk of acute PE-related early mortality after the adjustment of other potential confounders. Conclusions We have shown that a high GGT level is associated with worse hemodynamic parameters, and it seems that GGT helps risk stratification in patients with acute PE.