Editorial

Heart failure in the United States 1970–1985

Approximately three million U.S. adult women have heart failure (HF), increasing their risk of adverse perioperative outcomes. While gender and racial differences are reported in surgical outcomes, less is known about 30-day perioperative outcomes in HF patients.

To characterize and compare gender and racial differences in 30-day perioperative outcomes in adults with new or acute/worsening HF.

The 2012–2013 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database of surgical patients (n = 9458) with HF was analyzed. Logistic regression was used to adjust for gender and racial differences in baseline covariates.

No gender difference in mortality (odds ratio = 0.922, 95% confidence interval = 0.0792–1.073, p = 0.294) was noted. Whites were more likely than Blacks to die 30 days after surgery (14% vs 9%, p < 0.001); after adjustment, Blacks were more likely to experience complications and be readmitted compared to Whites.

There was no gender difference in mortality. White patients with HF were more likely to die after surgery than Black patients.

This study sought to determine whether racial and ethnic differences exist among patients with similar access to care. We examined outcomes after heart failure hospitalization within a large municipal health system.

Racial and ethnic disparities in heart failure outcomes are present in administrative data, and one explanation is differential access to care.

We performed a retrospective cohort study of 8,532 hospitalizations of adults with heart failure at 11 hospitals in New York City from 2007 to 2010. Primary exposure was ethnicity and race, and outcomes were 30- and 90-day readmission and 30-day and 1-year mortality rates. Generalized estimating equations were used to test for associations between ethnicity and race and outcomes with covariate adjustment.

Of the number of hospitalizations included, 4,305 (51%) were for blacks, 2,449 (29%) were for Hispanics, 1,494 (18%) were for whites, and 284 (3%) were for Asians. Compared to whites, blacks and Asians had lower 1-year mortality, with adjusted odds ratios (aORs) of 0.75 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59 to 0.94) and 0.57 (95% CI: 0.38 to 0.85), respectively, and rates for Hispanics were not significantly different (aOR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.03). Hispanics had higher odds of readmission than whites (aOR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.03 to 1.57) at 30 (aOR: 1.40; 95% CI: 1.15 to 1.70) and 90 days. Blacks had higher odds of readmission than whites at 90 days (aOR:1.21; 95% CI: 1.01 to 1.47).

Racial and ethnic differences in outcomes after heart failure hospitalization were present within a large municipal health system. Access to a municipal health system may not be sufficient to eliminate disparities in heart failure outcomes.

The relationship of peak exercise oxygen consumption (VO₂) to survival in black heart failure (HF) patients is not well established. We examined the effects of race on peak VO₂ values and survival in HF patients with systolic dysfunction.

This study evaluated consecutive ambulatory HF patients who underwent symptom-limited stress tests with breath-by-breath expired gas analyses using ramped treadmill protocols. The relationship between cardiopulmonary exercise parameters and patient transplant-free survival was assessed by race. This study included 580 HF patients (mean age 52 ± 12 years; 28% females; 22% blacks; mean left ventricular ejection fraction 26 ± 12%; mean body mass index 28.7 ± 5.4; 73% on β-blocker). Black patients had a significantly lower peak VO₂ than white patients (14.2 ± 5.2 versus 16.4 ± 7.0; P < .0001), despite adjusting for identified covariates. However, there was no significant difference in the 1-year transplant-free survival between black and white HF patients (87% versus 85%; P = NS). Peak VO₂ was significantly associated with survival in both racial groups.

Black HF patients had significantly lower peak VO₂, but yet had equivalent survival rates at 1 year. Further study is warranted to clarify the impact of these racial differences on the timing of cardiac transplantation black HF patients.

This study sought to identify genetic modifiers of β-blocker response and long-term survival in heart failure (HF).

Differences in β-blocker treatment effect between Caucasians and African Americans with HF have been reported.

This was a prospective cohort study of 2,460 patients (711 African American, 1,749 Caucasian) enrolled between 1999 and 2007; 2,039 patients (81.7%) were treated with a β-blocker. Each was genotyped for β1-adrenergic receptor (ADRB1) Arg389>Gly and G-protein receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) Gln41>Leu polymorphisms, which are more prevalent among African Americans than Caucasians. The primary end point was survival time from HF onset.

There were 765 deaths during follow-up (median 46 months). β-blocker treatment increased survival in Caucasians (log-rank p = 0.00038) but not African Americans (log-rank p = 0.327). Among patients not taking β-blockers, ADRB1Gly389 was associated with decreased survival in Caucasians (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.1 to 3.7, p = 0.03) whereas GRK5Leu41 was associated with improved survival in African Americans (HR: 0.325, CI: 0.133 to 0.796, p = 0.01). African Americans with ADRB1Gly389Gly GRK5Gln41Gln derived a similar survival benefit from β-blocker therapy (HR: 0.385, 95% CI: 0.182 to 0.813, p = 0.012) as Caucasians with the same genotype (HR: 0.529, 95% CI: 0.326 to 0.858, p = 0.0098).

These data show that differences caused by β-adrenergic receptor signaling pathway gene polymorphisms, rather than race, are the major factors contributing to apparent differences in the β-blocker treatment effect between Caucasians and African Americans; proper evaluation of treatment response should account for genetic variance.