The CHA2 DS2 -VASc score as a predictor of high mortality in hospitalized heart failure patients.

AIMS: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in patients with heart failure (HF). CHA2 DS2 -VASc score was originally employed as a risk assessment tool for stroke in patients with AF; however, it has recently been used to predict not only stroke but also various cardiovascular diseases beyond the original AF field. We aimed to verify the CHA2 DS2 -VASc score as a risk assessment tool to predict mortality in patients with HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive 1011 patients admitted for treatment of HF were divided into three groups based on their CHA2 DS2 -VASc scores: score 1-3 group (n = 317), score 4-6 group (n = 549) and score 7-9 group (n = 145). Of the 1011 HF patients, 387 (38.3%) had AF. We compared patient characteristics among the three groups and prospectively followed for all-cause mortality. Although left ventricular ejection fraction was similar among all three groups, all-cause mortality was higher in the score 4-6 group and score 7-9 group than in the score 1-3 group (37.9 and 29.3% vs. 15.1%, log-rank P < 0.001). In the multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, the CHA2 DS2 -VASc score 7-9 was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality (all HF patients: hazard ratio (HR) 1.822, P = 0.011; HF patients with AF: HR 1.951, P = 0.031; HF patients without AF: HR 2.215, P = 0.033).

CONCLUSIONS: The CHA2 DS2 -VASc score was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in HF patients with or without AF. This comprehensive risk assessment score may help identify HF patients who are at high risk for mortality in HF patient.