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  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">abc</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Arquivos Brasileiros de Cardiologia</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="publisher">Arq. Bras. Cardiol.</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="ppub">0066-782X</issn>
      <issn pub-type="epub">1678-4170</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Sociedade Brasileira de Cardiologia - SBC</publisher-name>
        <publisher-loc>S&#227;o Paulo, SP, Brazil</publisher-loc>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id" specific-use="scielo-v3">jxNGDNKFJfpPDgLchNGgcWv</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="other">00004</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id" specific-use="scielo-v2">S0066-782X2007000600004</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id" specific-use="scielo-v1">S0066-782X(07)08800604</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.1590/S0066-782X2007000600004</article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Artigos Originais</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Valor progn&#243;stico do &#237;ndice do volume do &#225;trio esquerdo em pacientes em hemodi&#225;lise</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Barberato</surname>
            <given-names>Silvio H.</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff01"/>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Pecoits Filho</surname>
            <given-names>Roberto</given-names>
          </name>
          <xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff01"/>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <aff id="aff01">
        <addr-line>
          <named-content content-type="city">Curitiba</named-content>
          <named-content content-type="state">Paran&#225;</named-content>
        </addr-line>
        <institution content-type="orgname">Pontif&#237;cia Universidade Cat&#243;lica do Paran&#225;</institution>
        <country country="BR">Brazil</country>
      </aff>
      <pub-date date-type="collection" publication-format="electronic">
        <month>06</month>
        <year>2007</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>88</volume>
      <issue>6</issue>
      <fpage>643</fpage>
      <lpage>650</lpage>
      <history>
        <date date-type="rev-recd">
          <day>18</day>
          <month>12</month>
          <year>2006</year>
        </date>
        <date date-type="received">
          <day>07</day>
          <month>11</month>
          <year>2006</year>
        </date>
        <date date-type="accepted">
          <day>18</day>
          <month>12</month>
          <year>2006</year>
        </date>
      </history>
      <permissions>
        <license license-type="open-access" xlink:href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" xml:lang="en">
          <license-p>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <abstract>
        <p>OBJETIVO: Avaliar o valor progn&#243;stico do &#237;ndice do volume do &#225;trio esquerdo (IVAE) no curso cl&#237;nico dos pacientes de hemodi&#225;lise (HD), comparando com par&#226;metros cl&#237;nicos e ecocardiogr&#225;ficos previamente estabelecidos. M&#201;TODOS: Foram realizadas ecocardiografias em 118 pacientes de HD, que foram acompanhados por 19 &#177; 8 meses. O desfecho pesquisado foi composto de mortalidade geral e eventos cardiovasculares n&#227;o-fatais. O valor progn&#243;stico independente do IVAE foi testado pela an&#225;lise multivariada de Cox. RESULTADOS: O IVAE e outros par&#226;metros cl&#237;nicos e ecocardiogr&#225;ficos foram preditores do progn&#243;stico na an&#225;lise univariada. Na an&#225;lise multivariada, o IVAE foi preditor independente do progn&#243;stico (hazard ratio, 1,03 por ml/ m&#178;; intervalo de confian&#231;a de 95%, 1,01 a 1,05; p=0,014) e adicionou informa&#231;&#227;o incremental ao modelo contendo preditores tradicionais de risco cardiovascular, como massa ventricular esquerda, fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o e vari&#225;veis cl&#237;nicas (p=0,02). CONCLUS&#195;O: O IVAE &#233; preditor independente do progn&#243;stico em pacientes de HD, provendo informa&#231;&#227;o incremental aos dados cl&#237;nicos e Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficos tradicionais.</p>
      </abstract>
      <kwd-group xml:lang="pt" kwd-group-type="author-generated">
        <kwd>Di&#225;lise renal</kwd>
        <kwd>hipertrofia ventricular esquerda</kwd>
        <kwd>medi&#231;&#227;o de risco</kwd>
        <kwd>ecocardiografia Doppler</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
      <pub-date publication-format="electronic" date-type="pub">
        <day>23</day>
        <month>07</month>
        <year>2007</year>
      </pub-date>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  <body>
    <p>
      <bold>ARTIGO ORIGINAL </bold>
    </p>
    <p>Valor progn&#243;stico do &#237;ndice do volume do &#225;trio esquerdo em pacientes em hemodi&#225;lise </p>
    <p>
      <bold>Silvio H. Barberato; Roberto Pecoits Filho</bold>
    </p>
    <p>Pontif&#237;cia Universidade Cat&#243;lica do Paran&#225; &#150; Curitiba, PR - Brasil </p>
    <p>
      <xref ref-type="corresp" rid="corr1">Correspond&#234;ncia</xref>
    </p>
    <p>
      <bold>RESUMO</bold>
    </p>
    <p><bold>OBJETIVO:</bold> Avaliar o valor progn&#243;stico do &#237;ndice do volume do &#225;trio esquerdo (IVAE) no curso cl&#237;nico dos pacientes de hemodi&#225;lise (HD), comparando com par&#226;metros cl&#237;nicos e ecocardiogr&#225;ficos previamente estabelecidos. </p>
    <p><bold>M&#201;TODOS:</bold> Foram realizadas ecocardiografias em 118 pacientes de HD, que foram acompanhados por 19 &#177; 8 meses. O desfecho pesquisado foi composto de mortalidade geral e eventos cardiovasculares n&#227;o-fatais. O valor progn&#243;stico independente do IVAE foi testado pela an&#225;lise multivariada de Cox. </p>
    <p><bold>RESULTADOS:</bold> O IVAE e outros par&#226;metros cl&#237;nicos e ecocardiogr&#225;ficos foram preditores do progn&#243;stico na an&#225;lise univariada. Na an&#225;lise multivariada, o IVAE foi preditor independente do progn&#243;stico (<italic>hazard ratio</italic>, 1,03 por ml/ m<sup>2</sup>; intervalo de confian&#231;a de 95%, 1,01 a 1,05; p=0,014) e adicionou informa&#231;&#227;o incremental ao modelo contendo preditores tradicionais de risco cardiovascular, como massa ventricular esquerda, fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o e vari&#225;veis cl&#237;nicas (p=0,02). </p>
    <p><bold>CONCLUS&#195;O: </bold>O IVAE &#233; preditor independente do progn&#243;stico em pacientes de HD, provendo informa&#231;&#227;o incremental aos dados cl&#237;nicos e Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficos tradicionais. </p>
    <p><bold>Palavras-chave:</bold> Di&#225;lise renal, hipertrofia ventricular esquerda, medi&#231;&#227;o de risco, ecocardiografia Doppler. </p>
    <p>
      <bold>Introdu&#231;&#227;o</bold>
    </p>
    <p>A doen&#231;a cardiovascular &#233; a principal causa de &#243;bito nos pacientes portadores de insufici&#234;ncia renal cr&#244;nica em terapia de substitui&#231;&#227;o renal pela hemodi&#225;lise (HD)<sup>1,2</sup>. O excesso de risco cardiovascular nesse grupo resulta da intera&#231;&#227;o entre os tradicionais fatores de risco para doen&#231;a cardiovascular e os fatores de risco peculiares da doen&#231;a renal cr&#244;nica (DRC)<sup>1</sup>. Embora esses pacientes apresentem estadode aterosclerose acelerada<sup>3</sup>, altera&#231;&#245;es card&#237;acas estruturais, como hipertrofia e dilata&#231;&#227;o ventricular esquerda (levando &#224; disfun&#231;&#227;o tanto diast&#243;lica como sist&#243;lica), contribuem para a incid&#234;ncia de insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca congestiva e altas taxas de morbidade e de mortalidade<sup>4,5</sup>. A Doppler ecocardiografia tem sido amplamente utilizada na avalia&#231;&#227;o da estrutura e da fun&#231;&#227;o card&#237;acas ao longo de v&#225;rias d&#233;cadas, demonstrando importante papel para a caracteriza&#231;&#227;o de indiv&#237;duos sob maior risco cardiovascular. Os estudos que utilizaram o m&#233;todo para a predi&#231;&#227;o do risco cardiovascular na popula&#231;&#227;o de pacientes de HD concentraram-se principalmente na import&#226;ncia da hipertrofia<sup>4,6</sup> e da disfun&#231;&#227;o sist&#243;lica<sup>7,8 do</sup> ventr&#237;culo esquerdo (VE). Recentemente, postulou-se que a dilata&#231;&#227;o do &#225;trio esquerdo (AE), mais bem representada pelamensura&#231;&#227;o planim&#233;trica do &#237;ndice do volume do AE (IVAE) &#224; ecocardiografia bidimensional<sup>9</sup>, est&#225; relacionada &#224; dura&#231;&#227;o da disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica da c&#226;mara ventricular esquerda<sup>10,11</sup>, e representa potente marcador de risco cardiovascular na popula&#231;&#227;o geral<sup>11,12</sup> e em algumas popula&#231;&#245;es cl&#237;nicas<sup>13-16</sup>. Como a fun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica do VE parece estar comprometida na maioria dos pacientes de HD, mesmo naqueles que se apresentam assintom&#225;ticos<sup>5</sup>, especula-se que o IVAE poderia ser &#250;til na estratifica&#231;&#227;o do risco cardiovascular desse grupo. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o valor progn&#243;stico do IVAE em pacientes de HD, comparando com par&#226;metros cl&#237;nicos e Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficos previamente estabelecidos.</p>
    <p>
      <bold>M&#233;todos </bold>
    </p>
    <p><italic>Popula&#231;&#227;o</italic> - Os indiv&#237;duos foram recrutados entre os pacientes tratados rotineiramente na Unidade de Hemodi&#225;lise da Pontif&#237;cia Universidade Cat&#243;lica do Paran&#225;. Foram considerados eleg&#237;veis os portadores de DRC em programa de HD de manuten&#231;&#227;o h&#225; pelo menos um m&#234;s que aceitaram ser submetidos a ecocardiografia. Os crit&#233;rios de exclus&#227;o foram: malignidades, infec&#231;&#227;o ativa, presen&#231;a de ritmo card&#237;aco n&#227;o-sinusal, derrame peric&#225;rdico e evid&#234;ncias de doen&#231;a valvar card&#237;aca significativa (presen&#231;a de pr&#243;tese valvar, qualquer grau de estenose mitral ou a&#243;rtica e grau maior que discreto de insufici&#234;ncia mitral ou a&#243;rtica ou tric&#250;spide). O Comit&#234; de &#201;tica em Pesquisa dessa institui&#231;&#227;o aprovou o protocolo do estudo, tendo sido obtido consentimento informado de todos os pacientes. Todos os indiv&#237;duos foram submetidos a HD em m&#225;quinas de di&#225;lise Altra Touch (Althin, Miami, Fl, EUA) com dialisador de acetato-celulose regulado com fluxo de sangue m&#237;nimo de 200 ml/min e fluxo do dialisato de 300 ml/min a 400 ml/min contendo composi&#231;&#227;o padr&#227;o. A estimativa do "peso seco", visando ao montante de volume a ser retirado por ultrafiltra&#231;&#227;o, &#233; feita rotineiramente nessa institui&#231;&#227;o por meio de sinais cl&#237;nicos de hidrata&#231;&#227;o, comportamento da press&#227;o arterial durante a sess&#227;o e aferi&#231;&#227;o peri&#243;dica da bioimped&#226;ncia<sup>17</sup>. No momento do exame, foi feita medi&#231;&#227;o das press&#245;es arteriais sist&#243;lica e diast&#243;lica, da freq&#252;&#234;ncia card&#237;aca, do peso e da altura. A superf&#237;cie corp&#243;rea foi calculada de acordo com a equa&#231;&#227;o simplificada de DuBois &amp; DuBois (0,20247 x peso<sup>0,425 </sup>x altura<sup>0,725</sup>)<sup>18</sup>. O &#237;ndice de massa corp&#243;rea foi calculado pela divis&#227;o do peso (kg) pelo quadrado da altura (m), considerando-se obesidade quando <underline>&gt;</underline> 30. </p>
    <p><italic>Doppler ecocardiografia </italic>- Todos os exames foram realizados por examinador &#250;nico (S.H.B.) em dia interdial&#237;tico (somente ter&#231;a-feira ou quinta-feira), com hor&#225;rio marcado entre 12 e 18 horas, como previamente recomendado<sup>19</sup>. Foi utilizado ecocardi&#243;grafo HDI 3000 (ATL-Philips Ultrasound Systems, Bothell, Washington, EUA) equipado com transdutor de 2,5MHz a 4MHz, capaz de operar com imagem fundamental e segunda harm&#244;nica, para realizar estudo aos modos M, bidimensional e Doppler (puls&#225;til, cont&#237;nuo, colorido e tecidual). De acordo coma conven&#231;&#227;o de Penn<sup>20</sup>, as seguintes medidas lineares foram obtidas ao modo-M: espessura do septo interventricular, espessura da parede posterior, di&#226;metro diast&#243;lico final e di&#226;metro sist&#243;lico final do VE. O limite superior do di&#226;metro diast&#243;lico final foi definido em 55 mm. A massa do VE foi obtida por meio da equa&#231;&#227;o de Devereux<sup>21 </sup>e indexada pela altura em metros elevada &#224; pot&#234;nciade 2,7, diagnosticando hipertrofia quando o &#237;ndice de massa do VE (IMVE) foi maior que 51 g/m<sup>2,7,22</sup>. Para a defini&#231;&#227;o do padr&#227;o geom&#233;trico do VE, foi calculada a espessura relativa de parede pela seguinte f&#243;rmula: (2 x espessura m&#233;dia da parede) / di&#226;metro diast&#243;lico final do VE, em que espessura m&#233;dia = (espessura do septo interventricular + espessura da parede posterior na di&#225;stole) / 2. O valor de refer&#234;ncia foi 0,45, separando hipertrofia exc&#234;ntrica (abaixo de 0,45) da conc&#234;ntrica (acimade 0,45)<sup>23</sup>. O IMVE normal e a espessura relativa aumentada foram classificados como remodelamento conc&#234;ntrico<sup>23</sup>. A fun&#231;&#227;o sist&#243;lica do VE foi analisada pelo c&#225;lculo da fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o pelo m&#233;todo de Teichholz<sup>24</sup>, cujo limite inferior foi definido em 50%. As velocidades do fluxo transvalvar mitral foram registradas no corte apical de quatro c&#226;maras, com a amostra do Doppler puls&#225;til posicionada entre as extremidades das c&#250;spides da valva mitral, solicitando-se ao paciente respira&#231;&#227;o calma e controlada. De acordo com as recomenda&#231;&#245;es da Sociedade Americanade Ecocardiografia<sup>25</sup>, foram medidos a velocidade de enchimento r&#225;pido precoce (E), a velocidade de contra&#231;&#227;o atrial (A), a rela&#231;&#227;o E/A e o tempo de desacelera&#231;&#227;o da onda E (TD). TD &lt; 140 ms, associado com padr&#227;o de enchimento restritivo, foi classificado como anormal<sup>26</sup>. As velocidades do anel mitral ao Doppler tecidual foram registradas no corte apical de quatro c&#226;maras, com amostra de volume de 1 mm a 2 mm na jun&#231;&#227;o das paredes septal<sup>27 </sup>e lateral<sup>28 </sup>do VE com o anel mitral. Foram determinadas as velocidades diast&#243;licas precoce (E') e tardia (A') do anel, al&#233;m das rela&#231;&#245;es E'/A' e E/E'. A disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica foi definida como: 1) E/A &lt; 1 (altera&#231;&#227;o do relaxamento); 2) E/A &gt; 2 (fluxo restritivo) e 3) E/A entre 1 e 2 em associa&#231;&#227;o a E/E' &gt; 10 (pseudonormaliza&#231;&#227;o)<sup>29</sup>. O tamanho do AE foi avaliado pela dimens&#227;o &#226;ntero-posterior ao modo-M (anormal quando &gt; 40 mm), como previamente recomendado<sup>30</sup>, e pelo c&#225;lculo do volume do AE por meio da planimetria bidimensional usando a t&#233;cnica de Simpson biplanar<sup>9</sup>, no quadro precedente &#224; abertura da valva mitral. O IVAE foi obtido pela raz&#227;o entre o volume do AE e a superf&#237;cie corp&#243;rea<sup>12</sup>, sendo os valores acima de 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>indicativos de maior risco cardiovascular<sup>11,13,14</sup>. Todas as medidas Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficas apresentadas no estudo correspondem &#224; m&#233;dia de tr&#234;s ciclos card&#237;acos. </p>
    <p><italic>An&#225;lise de sobrevida </italic>- Dados demogr&#225;ficos, presen&#231;a de co-morbidades (antecedentes de diabete melito, hipertens&#227;o arterial, infarto agudo do mioc&#225;rdio, angina documentada por cinecoronariografia, acidente vascular cerebral e diagn&#243;stico cl&#237;nico de insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca), drogas em uso e exames laboratoriais rotineiros (hemoglobina, albumina, c&#225;lcio e f&#243;sforo) foram levantados a partir de rigorosa an&#225;lise de prontu&#225;rio combinada com entrevista com o paciente ou o m&#233;dico respons&#225;vel. Os indiv&#237;duos foram acompanhados de forma prospectiva entre junho de 2003 e julho de 2006 ou at&#233; a ocorr&#234;ncia de desfecho. O desfecho combinado do estudo foi composto de mortalidade geral e eventos cardiovasculares n&#227;o-fatais. Foram coletados os seguintes eventos: 1) &#243;bito; 2) novo evento coronariano, definido como infarto agudo do mioc&#225;rdio n&#227;o-fatal ou angina do peito com estenose coronariana &gt; 50% &#224; cinecoronariografia; 3) acidente vascular cerebral isqu&#234;mico ou hemorr&#225;gico, n&#227;o incluindo ataque isqu&#234;mico transit&#243;rio e 4) diagn&#243;stico cl&#237;nico de insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca congestiva requerendo interna&#231;&#227;o hospitalar. Os eventos foram pesquisados por meio de revis&#227;o peri&#243;dica de documenta&#231;&#227;o m&#233;dica, incluindo registros cl&#237;nicos e atestados de &#243;bito, al&#233;m de contato com o m&#233;dico e familiares do paciente. Em caso de m&#250;ltiplos eventos em um mesmo paciente, a an&#225;lise foi restrita ao primeiro evento. Pacientes que realizaram transplante renal foram censurados na an&#225;lise. </p>
    <p><italic>An&#225;lise estat&#237;stica</italic> - Os resultados est&#227;o expressos como m&#233;dia e desvio padr&#227;o (para vari&#225;veis cont&#237;nuas com distribui&#231;&#227;o param&#233;trica), mediana (para vari&#225;veis cont&#237;nuas com distribui&#231;&#227;o n&#227;o-param&#233;trica) e porcentagem (para vari&#225;veis categ&#243;ricas). Assim, a compara&#231;&#227;o dos valores num&#233;ricos entre grupos diferentes foi realizada pelos testes t de Student n&#227;o-pareado, de Mann-Whitney ou do qui-quadrado. O valor progn&#243;stico independente do IVAE foi testado pela an&#225;lise multivariada de sobrevida de Cox. Para selecionar as vari&#225;veis para a an&#225;lise do risco proporcional, foram feitas, inicialmente, compara&#231;&#245;es entre os grupos com e sem o desfecho do estudo. Foi inclu&#237;da especificamente a rela&#231;&#227;o E/E' no modelo em decorr&#234;ncia de estudo pr&#233;vio apontando associa&#231;&#227;o desse &#237;ndice com maior mortalidade em candidatos a transplante renal<sup>31</sup>. Os preditores univariados significativos foram adicionados ao modelo de Cox (entrada e reten&#231;&#227;o com signific&#226;ncia de 0,1 e 0,05, respectivamente) em v&#225;rios est&#225;gios, simulando o racioc&#237;nio cl&#237;nico. Assim, o primeiro passo utilizou vari&#225;veis cl&#237;nicas e bioqu&#237;micas como fatores de risco basais. Em seguida, vari&#225;veis Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficas tradicionais foram adicionadas. Finalmente, os &#250;ltimos passos consistiram na introdu&#231;&#227;o seq&#252;encial da rela&#231;&#227;o E/E' e do IVAE como vari&#225;veis cont&#237;nuas. O valor incremental do poder preditivo de cada est&#225;gio do modelo foi examinado pela mudan&#231;a do valor do qui-quadrado. Foram constru&#237;das curvas de Kaplan-Meier para o IVAE como vari&#225;vel categ&#243;rica, adotando-se o valor de parti&#231;&#227;o de 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. O n&#237;vel de signific&#226;ncia estat&#237;stica foi definido como p &lt; 0,05. Foi empregado o programa estat&#237;stico "SPSS 13.0 for Windows" (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Ill, EUA). </p>
    <p>
      <bold>Resultados</bold>
    </p>
    <p>Foram avaliados, no total, 131 indiv&#237;duos, nove dos quais foram exclu&#237;dos (tr&#234;s por arritmias, tr&#234;s por insufici&#234;ncia mitral importante, um por estenose a&#243;rtica, um por estenose mitral, e um por derrame peric&#225;rdico) e outros quatro mudaram de cidade e perderam o seguimento. As caracter&#237;sticas demogr&#225;ficas, cl&#237;nicas, bioqu&#237;micas e Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficas dos 118 remanescentes, que formaram a popula&#231;&#227;o do estudo, est&#227;o apresentadas na <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab1">tabela 1</xref>. Esse grupo consistiu de 64 homens e 54 mulheres, com m&#233;dia de idade de 48 &#177; 15 anos e dura&#231;&#227;o mediana em HD de 22 meses (1-120). A etiologia da DRC foi atribu&#237;da a nefroesclerose hipertensiva (40%), glomerulonefritecr&#244;nica (24%), nefropatiadiab&#233;tica (19%),rim polic&#237;stico (8%), pielonefritecr&#244;nica (6%) e outras afec&#231;&#245;es (3%). A maioria dos pacientes (76%) estava em uso de medica&#231;&#227;o anti-hipertensiva, em especial inibidores da enzima conversora (45%), betabloqueadores (19%), alfabloqueadores (13%), antagonistas dos canais de c&#225;lcio (13%) e bloqueadores dos receptores da angiotensina (10%), isolados ou em associa&#231;&#227;o. </p>
    <table-wrap id="tab1">
      <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gt01.jpg"/></table-wrap>
    <p><italic>Doen&#231;a cardiovascular pr&#233;via</italic> - No grupo avaliado, 48 pacientes (41%) tinham cardiopatia pr&#233;via (insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca em 32%, infarto em 5% e angina em 3%); al&#233;m disso, 2% tinham hist&#243;ria de acidente vascular cerebral e nenhum tinha insufici&#234;ncia arterial perif&#233;rica. Obesidade foi constatada em 11%. </p>
    <p><italic>Altera&#231;&#245;es Dopplere cocardiogr&#225;ficas </italic> - A <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1">figura 1</xref> demonstra a preval&#234;ncia das principais altera&#231;&#245;es ecocardiogr&#225;ficas observadas nesse grupo. Dilata&#231;&#227;o do VE esteve presente em 26 pacientes (22%), hipertrofia em 106 (90%), disfun&#231;&#227;o sist&#243;lica em 21 (18%) e disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica em 96 (81%). De acordo com a espessura relativa da parede, a modifica&#231;&#227;o geom&#233;trica mais freq&#252;ente foi hipertrofia conc&#234;ntrica (77%), seguida de hipertrofia exc&#234;ntrica (13%) e remodelamento conc&#234;ntrico (4%). Somente 6% tinham geometria normal do VE. A dilata&#231;&#227;o do AE foi diagnosticada ao modo-M em 32 indiv&#237;duos (27%). O IVAE m&#233;dio foi de 34 &#177; 15 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(mediana de 31, varia&#231;&#227;o de 17 a 89), e valores acima de 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup> foram encontrados em 50% da popula&#231;&#227;o estudada. </p>
    <fig id="fig1">
      <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gf01.jpg"/></fig>
    <p><italic>Progn&#243;stico</italic> - Durante o seguimento m&#233;dio de 19 &#177; 8 meses, foram registrados 20 &#243;bitos e 17 eventos cardiovasculares n&#227;o-fatais, conferindo taxa global de desfechos de 31%. As mortes foram atribu&#237;das a causas cardiovasculares (12 &#243;bitos, sendo sete por infarto agudo do mioc&#225;rdio, quatro por morte s&#250;bita e um por acidente vascular cerebral hemorr&#225;gico) e infecciosas (oito &#243;bitos). Entre os eventos cardiovasculares n&#227;o-fatais, houve tr&#234;s por angina, um por infarto agudo do mioc&#225;rdio, 10 interna&#231;&#245;es por insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca descompensada e tr&#234;s casos de acidente vascular cerebral isqu&#234;mico. A <xref ref-type="table" rid="a04tab02">tabela 2</xref> apresenta as diferen&#231;as entre os subgrupos com e sem desfecho. Os pacientes que sofreram os eventos do estudo eram mais velhos (56 &#177; 15 anos <italic>vs </italic>45 &#177; 13 anos, p &lt; 0,001), estavam por mais tempo sob HD (mediana de 24 <italic>vs </italic>11 meses, p = 0,014), tinham maior preval&#234;ncia de sexo masculino (67% <italic>vs </italic>48%, p = 0,047), de cardiopatia pr&#233;via (soma de insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca, infarto e angina: 73% <italic>vs </italic>12%, p &lt; 0,001) e de diabete (35% <italic>vs </italic>12%, p = 0,004), al&#233;m de menor dosagem de albumina (3,4 &#177; 0,4 mg/l <italic>vs </italic>3,9 &#177; 0,6 mg/l, p = 0,02). N&#227;o houve diferen&#231;as quanto a &#237;ndice de massa corp&#243;rea (p = 0,5), press&#227;o arterial sist&#243;lica (p = 0,7), press&#227;o arterial diast&#243;lica (p = 0,8), hemoglobina (p = 0,2) e produto c&#225;lcio-f&#243;sforo (p = 0,4). &#192; ecocardiografia, o subgrupo de pacientes com desfecho apresentou maior di&#226;metro diast&#243;lico do VE (53 &#177; 6 mm <italic>vs </italic>48 &#177; 7 mm, p &lt; 0,001), IMVE (109 &#177; 44 g/m<sup>2,7 </sup><italic>vs </italic>85 &#177; 34 g/m<sup>2,7</sup>, p = 0,002), dimens&#227;o &#226;ntero-posterior do AE (39 &#177; 6 mm <italic>vs </italic>34 &#177; 6 mm, p = 0,001) e IVAE (42 &#177; 15 ml/m<sup>2 </sup><italic>vs </italic>30 &#177; 14 ml/m<sup>2</sup>, p &lt; 0,001). Em concord&#226;ncia, a fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o foi menor e E/E' foi maior naquele subgrupo (57% &#177; 9% <italic>vs </italic>64% &#177; 6%, p &lt; 0,001; e 13% &#177; 4% <italic>vs </italic>8% &#177; 4%, p &lt; 0,001). A freq&#252;&#234;ncia de TD &lt; 140 ms foi similar entre os subgrupos (p = 0,2), mas houve tend&#234;ncia estat&#237;stica para TD mais curto em pacientes com desfechos (175 &#177; 51 ms <italic>vs </italic>197 &#177; 62 ms, p = 0,05). Ap&#243;s a sele&#231;&#227;o dos preditores significativos (<xref ref-type="table" rid="a04tab02">tabela 2</xref>), o modelo cl&#237;nico b&#225;sico incluiu idade, sexo masculino, cardiopatia pr&#233;via, diabete, tempo de dura&#231;&#227;o em HD e albumina. Em seguida, foram adicionados fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o, IMVE e TD ao modelo, seguidos de E/E' e, finalmente, IVAE. Para evitar colinearidade estat&#237;stica, procurou-se n&#227;o utilizar vari&#225;veis correlacionadas, como, por exemplo, di&#226;metro diast&#243;lico final do VE, que participa do c&#225;lculo da fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o e do IMVE. </p>
    <p content-type="asset">
      <table-wrap id="a04tab02">
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    <p>Os preditores independentes do progn&#243;stico, com as respectivas <italic>hazard ratio </italic>e intervalo de confian&#231;a (IC) de 95% est&#227;o apresentados na <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab3">tabela 3</xref>. Fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o, IMVE e E/E' n&#227;o foram preditores independentes do desfecho depois que o IVAE foi adicionado &#224; an&#225;lise. No modelo final, o IVAE foi o &#250;nico preditor ecocardiogr&#225;fico independente de morte e eventos cardio vasculares n&#227;o-fatais combinados, associando-se a <italic>hazard ratio </italic>de 1,03 por ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(IC 95%, 1,01-1,05, p = 0,014) a partir de 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. Entre as demais vari&#225;veis, presen&#231;a de cardiopatia pr&#233;via e tempo de dura&#231;&#227;o em HD (acima de 21 meses) atingiram signific&#226;ncia estat&#237;stica. O valor incremental fornecido ao modelo pelo IVAE pode ser observado na <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2">figura 2</xref> (o valor do qui-quadrado aumentou de 69 para 77 no passo final, p = 0,02). A taxa de desfecho foi significativamente maior naqueles com IVAE &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>em compara&#231;&#227;o ao subgrupo com IVAE <underline>&lt;</underline> 32ml/m<sup>2</sup> (51% <italic>vs </italic>12%, respectivamente, p &lt; 0,001). A <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3">figura 3</xref> apresenta as curvas ajustadas de Kaplan-Meier para sobrevida livre do desfecho usando o valor de parti&#231;&#227;o de 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. A sobrevida anual livre de eventos foi estimada em 98% para indiv&#237;duos com IVAE <underline>&lt;</underline>32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>contra 79% naqueles com IVAE &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(p &lt; 0,001). A <xref ref-type="table" rid="a04tab04">tabela 4</xref> enumera as principais caracter&#237;sticas cl&#237;nicas, Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficas e bioqu&#237;micas, de acordo com esse valor de parti&#231;&#227;o. Os pacientes com IVAE &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>tiveram maior preval&#234;ncia do sexo masculino, insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca e altera&#231;&#245;es ecocardiogr&#225;ficas do VE, como hipertrofia, disfun&#231;&#227;o sist&#243;lica e aumento de E/E'. Em contraste, n&#227;o houve diferen&#231;as quanto &#224; idade, par&#226;metros bioqu&#237;micos e preval&#234;ncia de hipertens&#227;o arterial, de diabete e de obesidade. A taxa de mortalidade foi mais alta naqueles com IVAE &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(30,5% <italic>vs </italic>3,4%, p &lt; 0,001). Houve somente duas mortes entre 59 pacientes com IVAE <underline>&lt;</underline>32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>, o que contrastou com as 18 mortes observadas nos 59 pacientes com IVAE &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. </p>
    <p content-type="asset">
      <table-wrap id="a04tab04">
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    </p>
    <table-wrap id="tab3">
      <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gt04.jpg"/></table-wrap>
    <fig id="fig2">
      <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gf02.jpg"/></fig>
    <fig id="fig3">
      <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gf03.jpg"/></fig>
    <p>
      <bold>Discuss&#227;o </bold>
    </p>
    <p>A avalia&#231;&#227;o ecocardiogr&#225;fica do AE e sua rela&#231;&#227;o com o risco cardiovascular t&#234;m sido revalorizadas nos &#250;ltimos anos. O principal achado do presente estudo &#233; que o IVAE &#233; capaz de prover informa&#231;&#227;o progn&#243;stica independente e incremental aos dados cl&#237;nicos e ecocardiogr&#225;ficos tradicionais na popula&#231;&#227;o de pacientes de HD. De todos os par&#226;metros ecocardiogr&#225;ficos avaliados, o IVAE teve o melhor desempenho para predizer o curso cl&#237;nico desse grupo, reconhecidamente de alto risco cardiovascular. A massa ventricular esquerda, comprovadamente um robusto marcador de mortalidade nessa popula&#231;&#227;o<sup>4,6</sup>, n&#227;o foi preditor independente do desfecho quando o IVAE foi inclu&#237;do na an&#225;lise. A presen&#231;a do IVAE aumentado foi tamb&#233;m superior a outros indicadores de risco, como a fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o e o TD. Esse achado corrobora relatos pr&#233;vios apontando o IVAE como par&#226;metro mais eficaz que a an&#225;lise da fun&#231;&#227;o sist&#243;lica na predi&#231;&#227;o da mortalidade em pacientes ap&#243;s infarto agudo do mioc&#225;rdio<sup>13,14 </sup>e com cardiomiopatia dilatada<sup>15,16</sup>.</p>
    <p>Algumas especula&#231;&#245;es podem ser feitas para entender o extraordin&#225;rio poder progn&#243;stico do IVAE. Sabe-se que existe correla&#231;&#227;o positiva entre o tamanho do AE e as propriedades passivas do VE<sup>32</sup>. A deteriora&#231;&#227;o progressiva das propriedades diast&#243;licas do mioc&#225;rdio gera eleva&#231;&#227;o das press&#245;es de enchimento do VE. Conseq&#252;entemente, a press&#227;o no AE sobe, gerando aumento do volume da c&#226;mara<sup>32</sup>. &#201; bastante prov&#225;vel, portanto, que o tamanho do AE funcione como marcador da cronicidade da disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica. Em concord&#226;ncia com essa proposi&#231;&#227;o, foi recentemente relatado que o IVAE &#233; menos sens&#237;vel &#224;s altera&#231;&#245;es agudas da pr&#233;-carga que os par&#226;metros derivados do Doppler puls&#225;til do fluxo mitral<sup>33</sup>. Adicionalmente, foi demonstrado que o IVAE tem correla&#231;&#227;o com a gravidade da disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica em pacientes de HD<sup>34 </sup>e possui o melhor desempenho na detec&#231;&#227;o da pseudonormaliza&#231;&#227;o do fluxo mitral em compara&#231;&#227;o com diversos &#237;ndices previamente testados<sup>35</sup>.Assim, opondo-se aos &#237;ndices Doppler ecocardiogr&#225;ficos derivados do fluxo mitral, reconhecidamente volume-dependentes e fornecedores de informa&#231;&#227;o moment&#226;nea a respeito do enchimento ventricular<sup>33,36</sup>, o IVAE parece funcionar como um marcador mais est&#225;vel da fun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica, relacionado &#224; "bagagem" cardiovascular adquirida ao longo do tempo. Isso pode explicar tamb&#233;m sua superioridade preditiva sobre a rela&#231;&#227;o E/E', &#237;ndice n&#227;o-invasivo de maior confiabilidade na estimativa da press&#227;o diast&#243;lica final do VE<sup>31,37</sup>, mas responsivo &#224;s modifica&#231;&#245;es agudas da pr&#233;-carga. </p>
    <p>&#201; prov&#225;vel que em coortes cl&#237;nicas, com significativa preval&#234;ncia de doen&#231;a cardiovascular, a dilata&#231;&#227;o atrial esquerda possa representar n&#227;o s&#243; a disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica de longo prazo, mas tamb&#233;m o resultado da a&#231;&#227;o de outros fatores que implicam pior progn&#243;stico. Em estudo utilizando modelo experimental em insufici&#234;ncia card&#237;aca, Khan e cols.<sup>38 </sup>demonstraram a instala&#231;&#227;o de remodelamento no AE semelhante ao que ocorre na c&#226;mara ventricular. A ativa&#231;&#227;o neuro-humoral provoca altera&#231;&#245;es da matriz extracelular, hipertrofia dos mi&#243;citos atriais, estabelecimento de fibrose e desencadeamento de progressiva dilata&#231;&#227;o do AE<sup>38 </sup>. A partir das evid&#234;ncias acumuladas, &#233; razo&#225;vel interpretar um AE cronicamente dilatado como a express&#227;o do &#244;nus da disfun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica e do remodelamento em pacientes com ritmo sinusal e sem valvopatia mitral significativa. </p>
    <p>Recentemente, Tripepi e cols.<sup>39 </sup>publicaram um estudo prospectivo semelhante, no qual analisaram 199 pacientes em HD e 50 em di&#225;lise peritoneal, encontrando associa&#231;&#227;o independente do IVAE com a fun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica e maior mortalidade geral. Esse estudo sugeriu que a indexa&#231;&#227;o do volume do AE pela altura elevada &#224; pot&#234;ncia de 2,7 adicionou informa&#231;&#227;o progn&#243;stica e foi superior &#224; indexa&#231;&#227;o pela superf&#237;cie corp&#243;rea. </p>
    <p>Este estudo foi conduzido usando a abordagem da superf&#237;cie corp&#243;rea, por causa de um estudo populacional pr&#233;vio (mais de dois mil pacientes) que demonstrou que o ajuste para o tamanho corporal usando a altura n&#227;o foi capaz de anular a influ&#234;ncia do g&#234;nero no tamanho do &#225;trio, embora isso tenha ocorrido com a superf&#237;cie corp&#243;rea<sup>12</sup>. Al&#233;m do mais, a indexa&#231;&#227;o para a altura elevada &#224; pot&#234;ncia de 2,7 foi descrita por de Simone e cols.<sup>22 </sup>, levando em conta a geometria do VE, n&#227;o tendo sido validada para o AE. Finalmente, &#233; importante lembrar que o m&#233;todo de indexa&#231;&#227;o baseado na altura foi superior ao da superf&#237;cie corp&#243;rea para prever mortalidade geral, mas n&#227;o para prever a incid&#234;ncia de eventos cardiovasculares<sup>39 </sup>. </p>
    <p><italic>Limita&#231;&#245;es </italic>- Nenhum dos pacientes inclu&#237;dos tinha altera&#231;&#227;o da contratilidade segmentar em regi&#245;es basais do VE, mas 8% apresentavam antecedente de doen&#231;a arterial coronariana. Para otimizar a acur&#225;cia na avalia&#231;&#227;o da fun&#231;&#227;o diast&#243;lica global pelo Doppler tecidual, foi utilizado o valor m&#233;dio de E' obtido em ambos os lados do anel<sup>29</sup>. O c&#225;lculo da fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o foi baseado em medidas lineares e n&#227;o na t&#233;cnica bidimensional planim&#233;trica. Entretanto, como outros estudos n&#227;o foram capazes de demonstrar superioridade da fra&#231;&#227;o de eje&#231;&#227;o por planimetria sobre o IVAE na avalia&#231;&#227;o progn&#243;stica<sup>14,16</sup>, e tendo em vista o n&#250;mero relativamente pequeno de pacientes com antecedente de insufici&#234;ncia coronariana nesta amostra, &#233; improv&#225;vel que o resultado final deste estudo tenha sido comprometido. Pacientes com arritmia e valvopatia significativa foram exclu&#237;dos desta an&#225;lise, o que elimina fatores de confus&#227;o, mas pode ter tornado amostra menos representativa da totalidade da popula&#231;&#227;o em HD. </p>
    <p>
      <bold>Conclus&#227;o </bold>
    </p>
    <p>Em conclus&#227;o, o IVAE foi preditor independente do progn&#243;stico em pacientes recebendo terapia renal substitutiva por HD, fornecendo informa&#231;&#227;o complementar aos dados cl&#237;nicos e ecocardiogr&#225;ficos tradicionais. A proposi&#231;&#227;o final dos autores deste estudo &#233; que o IVAE seja incorporado &#224; avalia&#231;&#227;o de rotina desse grupo de pacientes para melhor estratifica&#231;&#227;o do risco cardiovascular, visando &#224; redu&#231;&#227;o da morbidade e da mortalidade. </p>
    <p>
      <bold>Agradecimentos</bold>
    </p>
    <p>Agradecemos Alexandre Bignelli, Simone Gon&#231;alves e Marcio Misocami pela colabora&#231;&#227;o no recrutamento dos pacientes.</p>
    <p>
      <bold>Potencial Conflito de Interesses </bold>
    </p>
    <p>Declaro n&#227;o haver conflitos de interesses pertinentes.</p>
    <p>
      <bold>Refer&#234;ncias </bold>
    </p>
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    <p>
      <fn id="corr1" fn-type="corresp">
        <p content-type="break">Correspond&#234;ncia: </p>
        <p content-type="break"> Silvio H. Barberato </p>
        <p content-type="break"> Rua Saint Hilaire, 122/203 &#150; 80240-140 &#150; Curitiba, PR - Brasil </p>
        <p> E-mail: <email xlink:href="silviohb@cardiol.br">silviohb@cardiol.br</email>  </p>
        <p>Artigo recebido em 07/11/06; revisado recebido em 18/12/06; aceito em18/12/06.</p>
      </fn>
    </p>
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  <sub-article article-type="translation" id="TRen" xml:lang="en">
    <front-stub>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Original Articles</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title xml:lang="en">Prognostic value of left atrial volume index in hemodialysis patients</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <abstract xml:lang="en">
        <p>OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic value of left atrial volume index (LAVi) in the clinical course of hemodialysis (HD) patients, compared with previously established echocardiographic and clinical parameters. METHODS: Echocardiograms were obtained from 118 hemodialysis patients, who were then followed for 19 &#177; 8 months. Study endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality and nonfatal cardiovascular events. Cox multivariate analysis was used do assess the independent prognostic value of LAVi. RESULTS: On univariate analysis, LAVi and other clinical and echocardiographic parameters were predictive of prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that LAVi was an independent predictor of prognosis (hazard ratio 1.03 per ml/m&#178;, 95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.05, p=0.014), and added incremental information to the model containing traditional predictors of cardiovascular risk, such as left ventricular mass, ejection fraction, and clinical variables (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: LAVi is an independent predictor of prognosis in HD patients, providing incremental information to traditional clinical and Doppler echocardiographic data.</p>
      </abstract>
      <kwd-group xml:lang="en">
        <kwd>Hypertrophy, left ventricular</kwd>
        <kwd>renal dialysis</kwd>
        <kwd>risk assessment</kwd>
        <kwd>echocardiography, Doppler</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
    </front-stub>
    <body>
      <p>
        <bold>ORIGINAL ARTICLE</bold>
      </p>
      <p>Prognostic value of left atrial volume index in hemodialysis patients</p>
      <p>
        <bold>Silvio H. Barberato; Roberto Pecoits Filho </bold>
      </p>
      <p>Pontifical Catholic University of Paran&#225; &#150; Curitiba, PR - Brazil </p>
      <p>
        <xref ref-type="corresp" rid="corr1-body2">Mailing address</xref>
      </p>
      <p>
        <bold>SUMMARY</bold>
      </p>
      <p><bold>OBJECTIVE:</bold> To evaluate the prognostic value of left atrial volume index (LAVi) in the clinical course of hemodialysis (HD) patients, compared with previously established echocardiographic and clinical parameters.</p>
      <p><bold>METHODS:</bold> Echocardiograms were obtained from 118 hemodialysis patients, who were then followed for 19 &#177; 8 months. Study endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality and nonfatal cardiovascular events. Cox multivariate analysis was used do assess the independent prognostic value of LAVi. </p>
      <p><bold>RESULTS:</bold> On univariate analysis, LAVi and other clinical and echocardiographic parameters were predictive of prognosis. Multivariate analyses showed that LAVi was an independent predictor of prognosis (hazard ratio 1.03 per ml/m<sup>2</sup>, 95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.05, <italic>p</italic>=0.014), and added incremental information to the model containing traditional predictors of cardiovascular risk, such as left ventricular mass, ejection fraction, and clinical variables (<italic>p</italic>=0.02).</p>
      <p><bold>CONCLUSION:</bold> LAVi is an independent predictor of prognosis in HD patients, providing incremental information to traditional clinical and Doppler echocardiographic data. </p>
      <p><bold>Key words:</bold> Hypertrophy, left ventricular; renal dialysis; risk assessment; echocardiography, Doppler.</p>
      <p>
        <bold>Introduction</bold>
      </p>
      <p>Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in chronic renal failure patients on renal replacement therapy with hemodialysis (HD)<sup>1,2</sup>. The excess cardiovascular risk in this group is caused by the interaction between traditiona lrisk factors for cardiovascular disease and those related to chronic kidney disease (CKD)<sup>1</sup>. Even though these patients have accelerated at herosclerosis<sup>3</sup>, structural cardiac changes suchas hypertrophy and left ventricular dilation (resulting in diastolic and systolic dysfunction) are associated with the incidence of congestive heart failure and high morbidity and mortality rates<sup>4,5</sup>. For many decades now Doppler echocardiography has been widely used to evaluate cardiac structure and function, and thus has played a key role in characterizing individuals at higher cardiovascular risk. Former studies using the method to predict cardiovascular risk in hemodialysis population focused primarily on the role of hypertrophy<sup>4,6 </sup>and left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction<sup>7,8</sup>. It has been recently postulated that left atrial (LA) dilation, best represented by planimetric determination of LA volume index (LAVi) on two-dimensional echocardiography<sup>9</sup>, is related to the duration of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction<sup>10,11</sup>, and is a powerful marker of cardiovascular risk in the general population<sup>11,12 </sup>and in some clinical populations as well<sup>13-16</sup>. As LV diastolic function seems to be impaired in most HD patients, even in those asymptomatic<sup>5</sup>, we speculate that LAVi may be useful in stratifying cardiovascular risk in this group. This study was designed to assess the prognostic value of LAVi in HD patients, compared with previously established clinical and Doppler echocardiographic parameters. </p>
      <p>
        <bold>Methods</bold>
      </p>
      <p><italic>Population</italic> - Study patients were recruited among those routinely treated in the hemodialysis unit of our university. CKD patients on maintenance hemodialysis for at least one month who agreed to undergo echocardiogram were deemed eligible. Exclusion criteria were the following: malignancies, active infection, nonsinus rhythm, pericardial effusion, and evidence of major valvular heart disease (presence of prosthetic valve, any degree of mitral or aortic stenosis, and more than mild degree of mitral, aortic, or tricuspid regurgitation). The Institutional Research Ethics Committee approved the study protocol, and all patients signed an informed consent. All subjects underwent HD in Altra Touch dialysis machines (Althin, Miami, Florida, Fl, USA) equipped with cellulose-acetate dialyzers regulated to a blood flow rate of at least 200ml/min and a dialysate flow rate between 300 and 400 ml/min containing standard preparation. "Dry weight" estimates aiming at the total volume to be removed by ultrafiltration are performed routinely in our institution by means of clinical signs of hydration, blood pressure behaviour during session, and periodic bioimpedance assessment. Parameters measured at the time of examination included systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, plus body height and weight. Body surface area was calculated according to DuBois &amp; DuBois's simplified formula (0.20247 x weight<sup>0.425 </sup>x height<sup>0.725</sup>)<sup>18</sup>. Body mass index was calculated by dividing weight (kg) by squared height (m). Those with BMI &gt; 30 were considered obese. </p>
      <p><italic>Doppler echocardiogram</italic> - All examinations were performed by a single examiner (S.H.B.) on interdialytic days (Tuesday or Thursday only) between noon and 6 PM, as previously recommended<sup>19</sup>. M-mode, two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography (pulsed, continuous, color, and tissue imaging) were performed using an HDI 3000 system (ATL-Philips Ultrasound Systems, Bothell, Washington, USA) equipped with a 2,5-4 MHz transducer capable of operating with fundamental and second-harmonic imaging. According to the Penn convention<sup>20</sup>, the following linear measurements were obtained: interventricular septal thickness, posterior wall thickness, LV end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters. The end-diastolic diameter upper limit was established at 55 mm. Left ventricular mass was calculated using Devereux's formula<sup>21 </sup>and indexed to body height raised to the 2.7th power; hypertrophy was diagnosed when LV mass index (LVMi) was greater than 51 g/m<sup>2,7 22</sup>. In order to assess LV geometric pattern, relative wall thickness was calculated using the formula: (2 x mean wall thickness) / LV end-diastolic diameter, where mean thickness = (interventricular septal thickness + posterior wall thickness at diastole)/2. Reference value was 0.45, discriminating eccentric (below 0.45) from concentric (above 0.45) hypertrophy<sup>23</sup>. Concentric remodeling was defined by normal LVMi associated with increased relative wall thickness. Left ventricular systolic function was assessed by calculating ejection fraction using the Teichholz<sup>24 </sup>method, the limit of which was defined as 50%. Mitral inflow velocities were measured in the apical four-chamber view with pulsed-Doppler sample placed between the leaflet tips of the mitral valve; at this time patients were instructed to breathe in a calm, controlled manner. According to American Society of Echocardiography recommendations<sup>25</sup>, the following parameters were measured: early rapid filling (E) velocity, atrial contraction velocity (A), E/A ratio, and E-wave deceleration time (DT). DT &lt; 140 ms, associated with a restrictive filling pattern, was considered abnormal<sup>26</sup>. Mitral annular velocities measured by tissue Doppler were recorded in the apical four-chamber view, with a 1- to -2 mm sample volume placed at the junction of LV septal<sup>27 </sup>and lateral<sup>28 </sup>walls with the mitral annulus. Both early (E') and late (A') diastolic mitral annular velocities were determined, in addition to E'/A' and E/E' ratios. Diastolic dysfunction was defined as: 1) E/A &lt; 1 (abnormal relaxation); 2) E/A &gt; 2 (restrictive flow); 3) E/A between 1 and 2 in association with E/E' &gt; 10 (pseudonormalization)<sup>29</sup>. Left atrial size was assessed by M-mode measurement of anteroposterior dimension (abnormal when &gt; 40 mm), as previously recommended<sup>30</sup>, and also by LA volume calculated by using two-dimensional planimetry with the biplanar Simpson's rule<sup>9 </sup>on the frame just before mitral valve opening. Left atrial volume index (LAVi) was calculated by the LA volume to body surface area ratio<sup>12</sup>; values greater than 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>are suggestive of increased cardiovascular risk<sup>11,13,14</sup>. All Doppler echocardiographic measurements presented in the study correspond to the average of three cardiac cycles. </p>
      <p><italic>Survival analysis</italic> - Demographics, the presence of comorbidities (history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, angina documented by coronary angiography, stroke, and clinical diagnosis of heart failure), drugs in use, and routine laboratory tests (hemoglobin, albumin, calcium, and phosphorus) were determined based on a thorough analysis of the medical chart combined with an interview with the patient or the attending physician. Study patients were prospectively followed from June 2003 to July 2006 or until an endpoint occurred. The study's composite endpoint was all-cause mortality and nonfatal cardiovascular events. The following events were observed: 1) death; 2) new coronary event, defined as nonfatal acute myocardial infarction or angina pectoris with coronary stenosis &gt; 50% on coronary angiography; 3) ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, transient ischemic attack excluded; 4) clinical diagnosis of congestive heart failure requiring hospitalization. These events were researched through periodic review of medical documentation, including clinical records and death certificates, in addition to contact with the doctor and patient's relatives. In case of multiple events in a single patient, only the first event was considered. Patients who underwent renal transplantation were censored in the analysis. </p>
      <p><italic>Statistical analysis</italic> - Data are presented as mean and standard deviation (parametrically distributed continuous variables), median (nonparametrically distributed continuous variables), and percentage (categorical variables). Differences between groups were determined using the unpaired Student's t test, the Mann-Whitney test, or the chi-square test. LAVi independent prognostic value was tested using Cox multivariate survival analysis. Initially, groups with and without the study endpoint were compared, in order to select variables for proportional risk analysis. The E/E' ratio was specifically included in the model because an earlier study showed that this index was associated with increased mortality in candidates for renal transplantation<sup>31 </sup>. Significant univariate predictors were added to the Cox model (entry and retention set at a significance level of 0.1 and 0.05, respectively) in several steps, simulating the clinical reasoning). Thus, the first step used clinical and biochemical variables as baseline risk factors. Subsequently, traditional Doppler echocardiographic variables were added. The last steps consisted of the sequential introduction of E/E' ratio and LAVi as continuous variables. The increase in predictive power at each step was assessed by change in chi-square value. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted for LAVi as categorical variable, using a partition value of 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. The statistical significance level was set at 5% (p &lt; 0.05). </p>
      <p>Data were processed by using "SPSS 13.0 for Windows" (SPSS INC, Chicago, Illinois). </p>
      <p>
        <bold>Results</bold>
      </p>
      <p>One hundred and thirty-one subjects were assessed. Nine patients were excluded (three because of arrhythmias, three because of major mitral regurgitation, one because of aortic stenosis, and one because of pericardial effusion), and four patients moved to another city and were lost to follow-up. <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab1-body2">Table 1</xref> summarizes demographic, clinical, biochemical, and Doppler echocardiographic characteristics of the 118 remaining patients that made up this study population. Our group comprised 64 men and 54 women, mean age 48 &#177; 15, and median HD duration of 22 months (1 to 120). CKD etiology was attributed to hypertensive nephrosclerosis (40%), chronic glomerulonephritis (24%), diabetic nephropathy (19%), policistic kidney (8%), chronic pyelonephritis (6%), and other conditions (3%). Most patients (76%) were on antihypertensive drugs, particularly angiotensin-converting enzymeinhibitors (45%), beta-blockers (19%), alpha-blockers (13%), calcium channel antagonists (13%), and angiotensin receptor blockers (10%), alone or combined. </p>
      <table-wrap id="tab1-body2">
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gt01-en.jpg"/></table-wrap>
      <p><italic>Previous cardiovascular disease</italic> - Forty-eight patients (41%) had history of heart disease (heart failure in 32%, myocardial infarction in 5%, andanginain3%). More over, 2% had history of stroke, and none had peripheral arterial disease. Eleven percent of the patients were obese. </p>
      <p><italic>Doppler echocardiographic changes</italic> - <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig1-body2">Figure 1</xref> shows the most prevalent echocardiographic changes found in our group. Twenty-six patients had LV dilation (22%), 106 had hypertrophy (90%), 21 had systolic dysfunction (18%), and 96 had diastolic dysfunction (81%). According to the relative wall thickness, the most frequent geometric change was concentric hypertrophy (77%), followed by eccentric hypertrophy (13%), and concentric remodeling (4%). Only 6% of the patients showed normal LV geometry. Thirty-two patients (27%) were diagnosed with LA dilation by M-mode echocardiography. Mean LAVi was 34 &#177; 15 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(median 31, ranging from 17 to 89), and this index was greater than 32 ml/ m<sup>2 </sup>in 50% of the study sample. </p>
      <fig id="fig1-body2">
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gf01-en.jpg"/></fig>
      <p><italic>Prognosis</italic> - During the mean follow-up of 19 &#177; 8 months, there were 20 deaths and 17 nonfatal cardiovascular events, resulting in an overall endpoint rate of 31%. Deaths were categorized as cardiovascular (12 deaths, seven from acute myocardial infarction, four from sudden death, and one from hemorrhagic stroke) or infectious (eight). Nonfatal cardiovascular events included three cases of angina, one case of acute myocardial infarction, ten hospital admissions for decompensated heart failure, and three cases of ischemic stroke. <xref ref-type="table" rid="en_a04tab02-body2">Table 2</xref> shows differences among subgroups with and without end point. Patients who experienced study events were older (56 &#177; 15 <italic>vs </italic>45 &#177; 13, p &lt; 0,001); were on HD for a longer period (median 24 months <italic>vs </italic>11 months, p = 0.014); had history of heart disease (heart failure plus infarction and angina: 73% <italic>vs </italic>12%, p &lt; 0.001) and diabetes (35% <italic>vs </italic>12%, p = 0.004); showed lower serum albumin concentration (3.4 &#177; 0.4 <italic>vs </italic>3.9 &#177; 0.6, p = 0,02), and were mostly male (67% <italic>vs </italic>48%, p = 0.047). No differences were found in body mass index (p = 0.5), systolic blood pressure (p = 0.7), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.8), hemoglobin (p = 0.2), and calcium-phosphorus product (p = 0.4). On echocardiogram, the subgroup of patients that reached the study endpoint had greater LV diastolic diameter (53 &#177; 6 <italic>vs </italic>48 &#177; 7 mm, p &lt; 0.001), LVMi (109 &#177; 44 <italic>vs </italic>85 &#177; 34 g/m<sup>2.7</sup>, p = 0.002), LA anteroposterior dimension (39 &#177; 6 <italic>vs </italic>34 &#177; 6 mm, p = 0.001), and LAVi (42 &#177; 15 <italic>vs </italic>30 &#177; 14 mL/m<sup>2</sup>, p &lt; 0.001). Consistent with these findings, this subgroup showed lower ejection fraction and higher E/E' (57 &#177; 9 <italic>vs </italic>64 &#177; 6%, p &lt; 0.001; and 13 &#177; 4 <italic>vs </italic>8 &#177; 4, p &lt; 0.001, respectively). The frequency of deceleration time (DT) &lt; 140 ms was similar in the subgroups (p =0.2), but there was a statistical trend tow ard shorter DT in patients who reached endpoints (175 &#177; 51 <italic>vs </italic>197 &#177; 62 ms, p = 0.05). After the most significant predictors were selected (<xref ref-type="table" rid="en_a04tab02-body2">Table 2</xref>), the basic clinical model included age, male gender, previous heart disease, diabetes, time on HD, and albumin. Subsequently, we added ejection fraction, LVMi, and DT to the model, followed by E/E' and, finally, LAVi. In order to prevent statistical colinearity, we sought not to use correlated variables, such as LV end-diastolic diameter, which plays a role in ejection fraction and LVMi calculation. </p>
      <p content-type="asset">
        <table-wrap id="en_a04tab02-body2">
          <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gt02-en.jpg"/></table-wrap>
      </p>
      <p>Independent prognostic predictors, with respective hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval (CI), are listed in <xref ref-type="table" rid="tab3-body2">Table 3</xref>. After LAVi was added to the analysis, ejection fraction, LVMI and E/E' were no longer independent predictors of the study endpoint. In the final model, LAVi was the sole independent echocardiographic predictor of combined death and nonfatal cardiovascular events, with hazard ratio of 1.03 per ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(95% CI, 1.01-1.05, <italic>p </italic>= 0.014) from 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. Among the other variables, the presence of previous heart disease and time on HD (over 21 months) reached statistical significance. The incremental value provided to the model by LAVi is shown in <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig2-body2">Figure 2</xref> (chi-square increased from 69 to 77 in the final step, <italic>p </italic>= 0.02). The end point rate was significantly higher in patients with LAVi &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>, compared with the subgroup with LAVi <underline>&lt;</underline> 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(51% <italic>vs </italic>12%, respectively, <italic>p </italic>&lt; 0.001). <xref ref-type="fig" rid="fig3-body2">Figure 3</xref> shows adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves for end point-free survival using the partition value of 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. Annual event-free survival was estimated at 98% for patients with LAVi <underline>&lt;</underline> 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup><italic>vs </italic>79% for those with LAVi &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(<italic>p </italic>&lt; 0.001). <xref ref-type="table" rid="en_a04tab04-body2">Table 4</xref> depicts the main clinical, Doppler echo cardiographic, and biochemical features according to this partition value. Patients with LAVi &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>had more heart failure and LV echocardiographic abnormalities, such as hypertrophy, systolic dysfunction, and increased E/E'; in addition they were predominantly male. Conversely, no differences were found in age, biochemical parameters and prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Death rate was higher among those with LAVi &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2 </sup>(30.5% <italic>vs </italic>3.4%, <italic>p </italic>&lt; 0.001). Among 59 patients with LAVi <underline>&lt;</underline> 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>, only two died, in contrast with 18 death among 59 patients with LAVi &gt; 32 ml/m<sup>2</sup>. </p>
      <p content-type="asset">
        <table-wrap id="en_a04tab04-body2">
          <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gt03-en.jpg"/></table-wrap>
      </p>
      <table-wrap id="tab3-body2">
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gt04-en.jpg"/></table-wrap>
      <fig id="fig2-body2">
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gf02-en.jpg"/></fig>
      <fig id="fig3-body2">
        <graphic xlink:href="1678-4170-abc-88-06-0643-00004-gf03-en.jpg"/></fig>
      <p>
        <bold>Discussion</bold>
      </p>
      <p>In recent years, echocardiographic assessment of the left atrium and its relationship with cardiovascular risk have been revalued. The most relevant finding of the present study is that LAVi may provide independent prognostic and incremental in formation to traditional clinical and echocardiographic data of HD patient population. Of all echo cardiographic parameters assessed, LAVi was shown to be the best predictor of clinical course in this group, known to be at high cardiovascular risk. Left ventricular mass, recognized as a strong marker of mortality in this population<sup>4,6</sup>, was no longer an independent predictor of endpoint after LAVi was included in the analysis. The presence of increased LAVi was also more prevalent than other risk indicators, such as ejection fraction and DT. This finding corroborates previous reports indicating that LAVi is a more effective parameter than systolic function analysis in predicting death in patients with acute myocardial infarction<sup>13,14</sup> and dilated cardiomyopathy<sup>15,16</sup>. </p>
      <p>Some speculations may be made to understand LAVi's remarkable prognostic power. It is known that a positive correlation exists between LA size and LV passive properties<sup>32 </sup>. The progressive deterioration of myocardial diastolic properties causes an elevation in LV filling pressures. Consequently, LA pressure rises, causing it to dilate<sup>32</sup>. Therefore, it is highly likely that LA size acts as a marker of diastolic dysfunction chronicity. In keeping with this proposition, we recently reported that LAVi is less sensitive to acute changes in preload than pulsed Doppler-derived parameters of mitral flow<sup>33</sup>. Additionally, we have demonstrated that LAVi is correlated with diastolic dysfunction severity in HD patients<sup>34 </sup>and is more effective in detecting pseudonormalization of mitral flow, compared with various previously tested indices<sup>35</sup>. Thus, unlike mitral flow-derived Doppler indices, known to be volume-dependentand provide transient information about ventricular filling<sup>33,36</sup>, LAVi appears to be a more stable marker of diastolic function, related to the cardiovascular "track record" built over time. This may also explain its predictive superiority over the E/E' ratio, the most reliable non-invasive index for estimating LV end-diastolic pressure<sup>31,37</sup>, but responsive to acute preload changes. </p>
      <p>It is likely that in clinical cohorts, with significant prevalence of cardiovascular disease, left atrial dilation may result not only from the long-standing diastolic dysfunction but also from other factors associated with worse prognosis. In a study using an animal model of heart failure, Khan and colleagues<sup>38 </sup>have demonstrated LA remodeling similar to that found in the ventricular chamber. The neurohumoral activation causes changes in the extracellular matrix, atrial myocites hypertrophy, fibrosis, and progressive dilation of the left atrium<sup>38</sup>. Based on accumulated evidence, it is reasonable to interpret achronically dilated LA as a result from both diastolic dysfunction burden and remodeling in patients with sinus rhythm but without significant mitral valve disease. </p>
      <p>Recently, Tripepi and colleagues<sup>39 </sup>published a similar prospective study evaluating 199 patients on HD and 50 on peritoneal dialysis, and found an independent association of LAVi with diastolic function, as well as higher all-cause mortality. This study suggested that the indexation of LA volume by height raised to the 2.7th power added prognostic information and was superior to the indexation by body surface area. We used the body surface approach because a previous population-based study (over 2000 patients) showed that the adjustment to body size using height failed to nullify the gender influence on atrial size, unlike the adjustment to body surface area. Furthermore, the indexation by height to the 2.7th power was described by Simone and colleagues<sup>22 </sup>taking LV geometry into account, and was not validated to the LA. Finally, it must be remembered that the indexation method based on body height was superior to that based on body surface area to prevent all-cause mortality, but not cardiovascular event incidence<sup>39</sup>. </p>
      <p><italic>Limitations</italic> - No patient included in this study had changes in segmental contractility in LV basal regions, but 8% had history of coronary artery disease. To optimize accuracy in assessing global diastolic function using tissue Doppler, we used a mean E' value measured at both sides of the annulus<sup>29</sup>. Ejection fraction was calculated based on linear measurements, rather than the planimetric two-dimensional technique. However, as other studies failed to demonstrate the superiority of ejection fraction by planimetry over LAVi in the prognostic evaluation<sup>14,16</sup>, and given the relatively small number of patients with history of coronary failure in our sample, it is unlikely that our final result has been compromised. Patients with arrhythmias and significant valvular heart disease were excluded from our study, thereby eliminating confounding factors; yet, this may have rendered our sample less representative of the HD population. </p>
      <p>
        <bold>Conclusion</bold>
      </p>
      <p>Concluding, LAVi was an independent predictor of prognosis in patients on renal replacement therapy with hemodialysis, providing additional information to traditional clinical and echocardiographic data. We propose that LAVi be incorporated in the routine assessment of this group of patients to improve the stratification of cardiovascular risk and, thereby, reduce morbidity and mortality rates. </p>
      <p>
        <bold>Acknowledgements</bold>
      </p>
      <p>We thank Alexandre Bignelli, Simone Gon&#231;alves, and Marcio Misocami for their help in recruiting patients. </p>
      <p>
        <bold>Potential Conflict of Interest</bold>
      </p>
      <p>No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported. </p>
      <p>
        <bold>References </bold>
      </p>
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      <p>
        <fn id="corr1-body2" fn-type="corresp">
          <label>
            <bold>Mailing address:</bold>
          </label>
          <p> Silvio H. Barberato</p>
          <p> Rua Saint Hilare, 122/203</p>
          <p> 80240-140 &#150; Curitiba, PR - Brazil </p>
          <p> E-mail: </p>
          <p>
            <email xlink:href="silviohb@cardiol.br">silviohb@cardiol.br</email>
          </p>
        </fn>
      </p>
      <p>Manuscript received November 7, 2006; revised manuscript received December 18, 2006; accepted December 18, 2006. </p>
    </body>
  </sub-article>
</article>
