Early vs. late reverse ventricular remodeling in patients with cardiomyopathy

Background: Predictors of left ventricular reverse remodeling (LVRR) and differences in the time taken to achieve LVRR remain unclear. Methods: We consecutively registered 129 patients with severe cardiomyopathy admitted with heart failure (HF). Patients were followed for a median of 778.0 days (IQ: 457.0, 1078.0). LVRR was defined as a decrease in indexed left ventricular systolic dimension of at least 15% additional to a 25% improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction at outpatient check-up compared with discharge. LVRR accomplishment within 400 days was defined as early-LVRR opposing the remaining late-LVRR patients. Primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality and HF re-hospitalization. Results: LVRR was observed in 51 patients (39.5%). Baseline predictors for LVRR were age younger than 60 years (OR, 3.27; 95% CI 1.04-10.37, p = 0.043), no history of previous HF hospitalization (OR, 0.32; 95% CI 0.12-0.86, p = 0.025), and systolic blood pressure (sBP) >100 mmHg at discharge (OR, 4.39; 95% CI 1.39-13.81, p = 0.011). Overall, there were 51 endpoint events [LVRR 11 (21.6%) vs. non-LVRR 40 (49.4%), p < 0.001]. LVRR was a significant predictor of favorable prognosis (HR, 3.77; 95% CI 1.68-8.47, p < 0.001). Notably, 41 (80.4%) patients qualified for early-LVRR. Early-LVRR was associated with better prognosis compared with late-LVRR [early-LVRR 6 (14.6%) vs. late-LVRR 5 (50.0%), p = 0.066]. Among assessed variables, sBP >100 mmHg at discharge was a significant predictor of early-LVRR (OR, 10.87; 95% CI 1.19-100.0, p = 0.034). Conclusion: Prognosis was improved in patients who achieved LVRR. Early-LVRR tended to be an advantage in terms of long-term prognosis. Higher sBP was a predictor not only for all-LVRR but also early-LVRR.