Prognostic value of the modified Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score in patients treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Hepatorenal dysfunction is prevalent among individuals with heart failure (HF).

Objective: This study investigated prognostic value of the modified Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease excluding international normalized ratio [MELD-XI] scores and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease with albumin replacing international normalized ratio [MELD-Albumin]) score in patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). We retrospectively evaluated 365 patients (mean age 58.7 ± 11.1 years; 64.9% men) undergoing CRT implantation between 2007 and 2019. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the modified MELD score quartiles before CRT. The primary endpoint was the combination of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization, whereas the secondary endpoint was CRT response at 6 months. During mean follow-up of 3.3 years (interquartile range 1.9-5.2 years), 168 patients reached the primary endpoint. Logistic regression revealed the MELD-Albumin score was independently associated with CRT response, even after adjusting for covariates (odds ratio 1.10; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.19; P = .013). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that patients with a higher MELD-XI and MELD-Albumin score had a greater risk of adverse outcomes (log-rank test: P < .001). A Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that the modified MELD score remained significantly associated with adverse outcomes after adjusting for clinical and echocardiographic factors (MELD-XI: hazard ratio 1.06, 95% CI 1.02-1.11, P = .006; MELD-Albumin: hazard ratio 1.10, 95% CI 1.05-1.16, P < .001). Furthermore, receiver-operating characteristic analysis indicated that the MELD-Albumin score provided a stronger prognostic value for long-term adverse outcomes in patients undergoing CRT than the MELD-XI score (MELD-Albumin: area under the curve 0.692, 95% CI 0.644-0.742; MELD-XI: area under the curve 0.659, 95% CI 0.608-0.715; P = .008). The MELD-Albumin score may be useful for stratifying patients at risk for CRT response and adverse outcomes in those undergoing CRT for HF.