For patients with chronic ischemic heart disease, a small, thick-walled left ventricle is the strongest predictor of heart failure, according to findings presented August 30 at the European Society of Cardiology Congress.
A study of 676 patients across six countries found that about 20 percent of them showed evidence of cardiac remodeling — changes in the structure of the heart following a cardiac event — that indicates left ventricular volume and mass as the best baseline predictors of risk for future cardiac events.
"By identifying baseline [left ventricle end-diastolic volume and mass] – measurements that can easily be assessed with standard imaging – as the best predictors of future remodelling and potentially heart failure risk, our study could guide clinicians away from more expensive tests for risk assessment," researchers said.