NEW YORK—Reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is associated with an increased likelihood of cardiovascular (CV) and all-cause mortality in very elderly patients, data show. This association is independent of traditional CV risk factors, according to investigators.
The data came from a study of 331 hospitalized patients with a mean age of 87 years and a mean follow-up was 378 days. The mean LVEF was 62.4% among the 221 survivors versus 55.6% among the 110 patients who died from any cause and 57.5% among those who died from CV causes, researchers reported at the American Society of Hypertension annual meeting. One standard deviation increment in LVEF was associated with a 30% and 23% decreased risk of CV and all-cause mortality, respectively, after adjusting for other CV parameters and other variables.
The study, by Yi Zhang, MD, of Paris Descartes University in France, and colleagues, also showed that survivors had a significantly lower mean left ventricular mass index (LVMI) than those who died from CV causes (101.8 vs. 115.3 g/m2). LVMI was not associated with all-cause mortality.
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