Background: There are limited studies regarding the prognostic value of coagulation abnormalities in heart failure patients. The clinical significance of prothrombin time international normalized ratio (INR), a widely accepted marker assessing coagulation abnormalities, in acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) remains unclear.
Methods and results: Among 561 consecutive patients admitted for ADHF, INR was assessed in 294 patients without prior anticoagulation therapy, acute coronary syndrome, liver disease, or overt disseminated intravascular coagulation. Increased INR on admission was positively associated with increased levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex, C-reactive protein, total bilirubin, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, inferior vena cava diameter, tricuspid regurgitation severity, markers of neurohormonal activation, and also negatively associated with decreased albumin, cholinesterase, and total cholesterol. In contrast, there was no significant association with left ventricular ejection fraction, serum sodium or blood urea nitrogen. Multivariate analysis showed that increased INR was independently associated with increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.89 per 0.1 increase, 95% confidence interval 1.14-3.13, P=0.013) during the median follow up of 284 days. Increased INR also had a higher prognostic value compared to risk score models including the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score or the MELD excluding INR (MELD-XI) score.
Conclusions: Increased INR is an independent predictor of all-cause mortality in ADHF patients without anticoagulation, reflecting coagulation abnormalities and hepatic insufficiency, possibly through systemic inflammation, neurohormonal activation and venous congestion.