Acute heart failure is an important cause of unplanned hospitalizations and poses a significant burden through increased mortality and frequent hospitalizations. Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) presents as a diverse condition characterized by complex cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular pathology. This study aimed to identify distinct clinical phenotypes in acute decompensated HFpEF (ADHF) using cluster analysis and assess their prognostic significance. We applied a latent class analysis to 1,281 ADHF patients admitted to a single cardiac intensive care unit between 2008 and 2022 with a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50%. We used 83 factors obtained at hospitalization. We evaluated the association between phenogroups and clinical outcomes using either Cox regression model or Fine-Gray competing risk model. We identified 4 phenogroups: Phenogroup 1 (n = 133, 10%) included younger patients with metabolic disorders and a low level of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP); Phenogroup 2 (n = 346, 27%) had systemic congestion and high BNP levels; Phenogroup 3 (n = 514, 40%) had multiple comorbidities and vascular disorders; Phenogroup 4 (n = 288, 22%) included older patients with bradyarrhythmia and atrial fibrillation. After adjusting for age, sex, and Get with the Guidelines-Heart Failure risk score, Phenogroup 2 had the highest risk of all-cause death and cardiac death. In conclusion, we identified 4 clinically relevant phenogroups of ADHF patients, each associated with different adverse outcomes. Phenotyping may provide a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in the heterogeneity of ADHF and decompensation. Furthermore, it may facilitate the search for phenotype-specific therapeutic strategies.
Keywords: Arrhythmias; Cluster; Death; Hospitalization; Phenotype.