A combination of clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters predicts pulmonary hypertension occurrence in patients with end-stage renal disease.

Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has a high incidence rate and mortality and its early identification is critical. However, whether a combination of clinical, electrocardiographic, and echocardiographic parameters can predict the occurrence of PH in patients with ESRD remains to be elucidated. Herein, we evaluated the predictive value of the combined score of these parameters.

Methods: Data from 370 patients with newly diagnosed ESRD who underwent routine echocardiography and electrocardiography between May 2016 and May 2017 were retrospectively evaluated. The incidence of PH during a 60-month follow-up period was investigated. Twenty-one patients were excluded due to incomplete data among other reasons. Finally, 349 patients were included in the analysis, of whom, 158 (45%) developed PH.

Results: Analysis of electrocardiogram reports suggested that a corrected Q-T interval (QTc) of >438.5 ms was associated with PH. Echocardiographic reports suggest that left atrial diameter (LAD), interventricular septum thickness in end-diastole (IVSd), stroke volume (SV), and pericardial effusion are also associated with PH development. Results of multivariate Cox analysis showed that LAD >3.785 cm, IVSd >1.165 cm, SV >79.5 ml, QTc >438.5 ms, and pericardial effusion were independent predictors of PH in patients with ESRD. The incidence of new-onset PH increased significantly with increasing composite scores, that is, the sum of risk scores determined using hazard ratios.

Conclusions: A total score that includes a combination of parameters such as LAD >3.785 cm, IVSd>1.165 cm, SV >79.5 ml, QTc >438.5 ms, and pericardial effusion can help describe the risk of new-onset PH.