Heart failure & cardiomyopathiesCohort study
Undetected Heart Failure in Cardiology: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Outcome
- Prospective cohort study
- centrally adjudicated heart failure (HF)
Authors' conclusion
One-out-of three patients referred for CAD work-up had undetected HF, which was associated with cardiovascular death and AHF hospitalization.
Study context
- Population
- Patients referred for non-invasive coronary artery disease (CAD) work-up with cardiac PET-CTeligible
- Participants
- 1,738 patients
- Exposure
- Undetected HF vs no HF
- Known HFn = 138
- Undetected HFn = 534
- Outcome
- Composite of:
- CV death
- Acute HF hospitalization
- Follow-up
- 2-year follow-up
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence of undetected HF and composite endpoint
Adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio
7.37
95% CI 3.87–14.06
P < 0.001
Events by group
Undetected HF vs No HF
adjusted subdistribution HR 7.37 (95% CI 3.87–14.06); P < 0.001
- Ratio of undetected HF to known HF
- 3.9 (95% CI 3.2-4.7)
- Number needed to screen to detect one undetected HF
- 3.0 (95% CI 2.9-3.1)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) phenotype in undetected HF
- Preserved LVEF
- 72.3%
- Mildly reduced LVEF
- 16%
- Reduced LVEF
- 11.7%
Factors associated with undetected HF
- Older age, known CAD, AF, previous pacemaker implantation and ECG abnormalities associated with higher likelihood
Original publication
Undetected Heart Failure in Cardiology: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Outcome. Eur J Prev Cardiol. Published 24 August 2026. doi:10.1093/eurjpc/zwag420
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it