Cardiovascular prognosis in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no significant ischemia

Abstract

Cardiovascular prognosis in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no significant ischemia Tatsuhiko Furuhashi, Masao Moroi Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Toho University Ohashi Medical Center, Tokyo, Japan Background: Peripheral artery disease (PAD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important cardiac risk factors, and stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is widely used as a diagnostic and predictive tool for coronary artery disease (CAD). We evaluated the usefulness of these risk factors for predicting cardiovascular events in patients with low cardiac risk assessed by stress MPI and echocardiography.Methods: We included 558 patients with suspected or confirmed CAD, a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50% on echocardiography, and no significant ischemia on stress MPI (summed difference score <2). Follow-up was for 46 months.Results: Cardiovascular events were observed in 37 patients (6.6%). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that PAD (hazard ratio: 6.62, P<0.001), CKD (hazard ratio: 2.44,