Heart failure survival score in patients with Chagas disease: correlation with functional variables.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Chagas disease is a prevalent cause of heart failure in Latin America, and its prognosis is worse than other etiologies. The Heart Failure Survival Score has been used to assess prognosis in patients with heart failure; however, this score has not yet been studied in patients with Chagas cardiopathy. METHODS The Heart Failure Survival Score was calculated in 55 patients with severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction due to Chagas disease. Correlations were assessed between the Heart Failure Survival Score and variables obtained from, cardiopulmonary exercise tests, quality-of-life measures, and 6-minute walking tests. RESULTS Patients were distributed among New York Heart Association classes II-IV; 89% were taking angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, 62% were taking beta-blockers, 86% were taking diuretics, and 74% were taking aldosterone receptor blockers. The mean Heart Failure Survival Score was 8.75 (0.80). The score correlated well with cardiopulmonary test variables such as peak oxygen uptake (0.662; P<.01), oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold (0.644; P<.01), ventilation carbon dioxide efficiency slope (-0.417; P<.01), oxygen pulse (0.375; P<.01), oxygen uptake efficiency slope (0.626; P<.01), 6-minute walking test (0.370; P<.01), left ventricle ejection fraction (0.650; P=.01), and left atrium diameter (-0.377; P<.01). There was also a borderline significant correlation between the Heart Failure Survival Score and quality of life (-0.283; P<.05). CONCLUSIONS In heart failure patients with Chagas disease, the Heart Failure Survival Score correlated well with the main prognostic functional test variables.