Cleveland, OH - Killip class is a powerful independent predictor of all-cause mortality in patients with non-ST-elevation ACS and should receive particular attention in these patients, a new study finds. Other predictors of mortality in ACS patients were found to be age, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and ST depression.

The study, published in the October 22/29, 2003 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, was conducted by a group from the Cleveland Clinic and Duke University. The researchers, led by Dr Umesh Khot (now at Indiana Heart Physicians, Indianapolis), note that with the introduction of increasingly sophisticated laboratory studies and diagnostic testing, many have forgotten the importance of the physical examination of patients.

They add that Killip class, which assesses the presence and severity of heart failure by physical examination, has been shown to predict mortality in patients with ST-elevation MI, but its relevance to patents with non-ST-elevation ACS has not been well established. They therefore sought to determine the importance of Killip class as a predictor of mortality in non-ST-elevation ACS patients and how it compares in this regard with other common prognostic variables. To do this, they analyzed data from 26 090 patients with non-ST-elevation ACS enrolled in four major trialsGUSTO IIb, PURSUIT, PARAGON A, and PARAGON B.

They found that higher Killip class was associated with higher mortality both at 30 days and at six months.

Relationship between Killip class and mortality in ACS patients

Complete informations and data are available on the original website TheHeart.org


Author: Sue Hughes