The prognostic value of left ventricular global peak systolic longitudinal strain in chronic peritoneal dialysis patients

BACKGROUND Although left ventricular (LV) global systolic longitudinal strain (GLS) reliably and accurately assesses LV systolic function and is also a powerful prognostic predictor, the importance and prognostic value of GLS in end-stage renal disease patients receiving maintenance peritoneal dialysis (PD) remain unclear. This study sought to determine the prognostic value of GLS in chronic PD patients. METHODS This prospective study collected clinical and echocardiographic data from 106 stable PD patients (50.0 ± 13.9 years, 45% male) in a dialysis unit of a university hospital. These patients were enrolled from April 2010 to June 2010 and followed until August 2013 (follow-up duration 30.3 ± 14.3 months). The primary outcomes were the presence of major adverse events (MAEs), defined as all-cause mortality, and major adverse cardiovascular cerebral events (MACCEs), i.e. cardiovascular death, cardiac hospitalization, and stroke. RESULTS Twenty-nine patients (27%) reported a primary outcome. Patients with MAEs had worse LV systolic function (MAEs vs. no MAEs, - 14.8 ± 2.8 vs. - 17.1 ± 2.5%, p = 0.003). Using multivariate Cox regression analyses, being male, having a history of heart failure, diabetes mellitus, an increased pulse pressure (≥ 60 mm Hg), and GLS ≥ - 15% were independent predictors of MAEs. The independent risk factors of MACCEs were a history of diabetes mellitus, an increased pulse pressure, and GLS ≥ - 15%. After comparison of the overall log likelihood χ2 of the predictive power, GLS was found to add prognostic information to a model based on traditional risk factors. CONCLUSION GLS ≥ - 15% provided additional prognostic information that allowed for the early identification of high-risk PD patients.