AIMS: Several clinical conditions may precipitate acute heart failure (AHF) and influence clinical outcome. In this study we hypothesized that precipitating factors are independently associated with 90-day risk of death in AHF. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study population consisted of 15 828 AHF patients from Europe and Asia. The primary outcome was 90-day all-cause mortality according to identified precipitating factors of AHF [acute coronary syndrome (ACS), infection, atrial fibrillation (AF), hypertension, and non-compliance]. Mortality at 90 days was 15.8%. AHF precipitated by ACS or by infection showed increased 90-day risk of death compared with AHF without identified precipitants [hazard ratio (HR) 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.44-1.97, P < 0.001; and HR 1.51, 95% CI 1.18-1.92, P = 0.001), while AHF precipitated by AF showed lower 90-day risk of death (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.42-0.75, P < 0.001), after multivariable adjustment. The risk of death in AHF precipitated by ACS was the highest during the first week after admission, while in AHF precipitated by infection the risk of death had a delayed peak at week 3. In AHF precipitated by AF, a trend toward reduced risk of death during the first weeks was shown. At weeks 5-6, AHF precipitated by ACS, infection, or AF showed similar risk of death to that of AHF without identified precipitants. CONCLUSIONS: Precipitating factors are independently associated with 90-day mortality in AHF. AHF precipitated by ACS or infection is independently associated with higher, while AHF precipitated by AF is associated with lower 90-day risk of death.

ANMCO Research Center Florence Italy

Department of Cardiac Sciences King Fahad Cardiac Center College of Medicine King Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Department of Cardiology University Heart Center University Hospital Zurich Zurich Switzerland

Department of Cardiology University Hospital Brno and Medical Faculty Masaryk University Brno Czech Republic

Department of Internal Medicine University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA

Division Cardiology Cardiovascular Center Department of Internal Medicine Seoul National University Bundang Hospital Seoul South Korea

Division of Cardiology and Intensive Care Unit Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital Kawasaki Japan

Emergency Department Hospital Clínic and 'Emergencies Processes and Pathologies' Research Group IDIBAPS Barcelona Spain

Heart Failure Center Fuwai Hospital National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College Beijing China

INSERM UMR S 942 Université Paris Diderot PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité and Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine APHP Saint Louis Lariboisière University Hospitals Paris France

INSERM UMR S 942 Université Paris Diderot PRES Sorbonne Paris Cité and Department of Cardiology APHP Lariboisière University Hospital Paris France

References provided by Crossref.org

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Association between hypo- and hyperkalemia and outcome in acute heart failure patients: the role of medications

Landiolol for rate control management of atrial fibrillation in patients with cardiac dysfunction