In patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF), nearly 25% transition from HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFREF) to HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFPEF) at repeat evaluation, and nearly 25% of the patients transitioned from HFPEF to HFREF (Clarke CL et al).
Female gender, hypertension, and beta-blocker adherence are associated with a transition from HFREF to HFPEF, while angiotensin-converting enzyme adherence is not.
The above suggest the dynamic nature of heart failure and the need for continued surveillance.
Patients with heart failure (HF) are typically described in as having reduced or preserved ejection fraction (HFREF, HFPEF) because of the importance of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) on therapeutic decisions and prognosis.
In 2413 patients from Kaiser Permanente Colorado study with a primary discharge diagnosis of HF: Women were more likely than men to transition from HFREF to HFPEF.
Patients who were adherent to β-blockers were more likely to transition from HFREF to HFPEF compared with patients who were nonadherent to β-blockers, whereas angiotensin-converting enzyme or angiotensin II receptor blocker adherence was not associated with LVEF transitions.
Patients who had a previous myocardial infarction were more likely to transition from HFPEF to HFREF.
In patients with HF, LVEF is a dynamic factor related to sex, coexisting conditions, and drug therapy.