Prognostic Value of Subclinical Pulmonary Congestion With Stress Ultrasound of the Lungs in the Development of Heart Failure in Patients With Primary Myocardial Infarction and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Aim      To determine the clinical and prognostic significance of subclinical pulmonary congestion, as evaluated by stress ultrasound (stress-US) examination of the lungs, in the development of heart failure (HF) during the postinfarction period after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Material and methods  This prospective observational study included 103 patients with no history of HF and with the first AMI and successful PCI. Standard laboratory tests, including the measurement of NT-proBNP, echocardiography, stress-US of the lungs with a 6-min walk test (6MWT), were performed for all patients. Pulmonary congestion was diagnosed with the total number of B lines ≥2 during stress: mild (2-4 B lines), moderate (5-9 B lines), and severe (≥10 В lines). Subclinical pulmonary congestion implied the absence of clinical signs of congestion in the presence of ultrasonic signs of pulmonary congestion (>2 В lines) during stress. The phenomenon of “wet” lung was identified when the total number of B lines was <2 at rest (“dry” lung) and ≥2 after stress. When the total number of B lines was >2 at rest (“wet” lung at rest) and ≥2 after stress, the phenotype was identified as “very wet” lung. The endpoint was hospitalization for HF during 1.5 years.

Results The study showed a high incidence of subclinical pulmonary congestion as determined by the results of stress-US test of the lungs, mild (18.4 %), moderate (37.9 %) and severe (42.7 %), and of “wet” and “very wet” lung phenotypes (65 %). The “wet/very wet” lung phenotypes correlated with the body weight index (R=0.236; p=0.016), troponin concentration upon admission and at 6–12 h (R=0.231; p=0019 and R=0.212; p=0.033, respectively), NT-proBNP concentration (R=0.276; p=0.035), Е peak (R=0.241; p=0.019), global longitudinal strain (GLS) (R=–0.208; p=0.034), and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension (R=0.351; p=0.0004). The higher probability of hospitalization for HF during 1.5 years after the discharge from the hospital correlated with a LV EF ≤48 % (OR, 4.04; 95 % CI: 1.49–10.9; р=0.006), a post-stress total number of B lines ≥10 (OR, 3.10; 95 % CI: 1.06–9.52; р=0.038), a pulmonary artery systolic pressure >27 mm Hg (OR, 3.7; 95 % CI: 1.42–9.61; р=0.007).

Conclusion      Stress-US of the lungs with evaluation of the total number of B lines should be performed for patients after the first AMI and PCI and with no clinical signs of congestion, for stratification of the risk for HF in the postinfarction period.

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