Clinical and hemodynamic predictors of survival in patients aged < 65 years with severe congestive heart failure secondary to ischemic or nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

To identify which clinical or hemodynamic parameters predict survival in patients with end-stage heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy, 130 consecutive patients aged < 65 years (mean 46 +/- 13) assessed for heart transplantation from May 1986 to April 1991 were studied. Mean follow-up was 15 +/- 11 months. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 22 +/- 7%. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure was 27 +/- 9 mm Hg, and cardiac index was 2.2 +/- 0.6 liter/min/m2. Symptom class was IV in 91% of patients and III in 9%. Etiology was ischemic in 40% of patients and idiopathic in 60%. After intensive medical therapy, heart transplantation was considered indicated in 53% of patients, contraindicated in 20% and not indicated in 27%. Transplantation was performed in 36% of patients during follow-up, and 35% died and 29% were alive without transplantation. A comparison, excluding patients with transplantation, was performed between those who were alive and had survived > or = 6 months after assessment, and those who died. On multivariate analysis, the following 3 parameters were independent predictors of prognosis: intravenous inotropic requirement (p < 0.001), maximal, tolerated captopril dose (p = 0.013) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.003). When patients with transplantation were considered as deaths, stabilization on medical therapy also reached statistical significance (p = 0.009). Classic prognostic markers including ventricular arrhythmias, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, cardiac index, amiodarone therapy and etiology were not associated with prognosis in this homogeneous population of severely ill patients.