Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Prevalence and prognostic impact of subclinical venous congestion in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure
Authors' conclusion
Clinical and subclinical congestion decreased during hospitalisation but worsened shortly after discharge. A quarter of patients had residual venous congestion, which was associated with a worse prognosis at 6 months.
Study context
- Population
- Patients admitted for heart failure (HF) between June 2021 and March 2023patients included (62% male, mean age 75 ± 15 years)
- Participants
- 120 patients
- Exposure
- Subclinical venous congestion vs Overt clinical congestion
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Congestion parameters · during hospitalisation and at the first outpatient visit
- Congestion parameters decreased during hospitalisation but tended to worsen at the first outpatient visit
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Composite endpoint of death from any cause, HF readmissions, or unscheduled visits requiring intravenous diuretic administration · 6-month follow-up
| Comparison | HR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subclinical venous congestion · independent predictor | 2.84 (1.01–8.01) | P = 0.048 | |
| 0.10.31310Hazard ratio (log scale) |
- Composite endpoint of death from any cause, HF readmissions, or unscheduled visits requiring intravenous diuretic administration: after adjustment for age, chronic kidney disease, NYHA class at admission, and NT-proBNP level at discharge
Subclinical venous congestion · At discharge
- Showed subclinical venous congestion
- 24%
Adverse outcomes
- Subclinical venous congestion group had a significantly higher incidence of adverse outcomes, comparable to those with overt clinical congestion
Original publication
Prevalence and prognostic impact of subclinical venous congestion in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 23 July 2025. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it