Retrospective Observational Analysis of a Cohort With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a complex condition with various causes that is not yet fully understood. Most significantly there is no single method of diagnosing or treating the condition. Recently a novel non-invasive diagnostic criterion to predict the likelihood of HFpEF was proposed called H2FPEF. The main limitation of this study was the use of a single centre population from the Mayo clinic in Rochester, US. Another limitation is that the H2FPEF diagnostic criterion consists of common and often co-existing conditions which could as a result overestimate HFpEF probability. The aim of the investigators is to retrospectively test the H2FPEF criteria on the population at Queen Alexandra Hospital (QAH) in Portsmouth, which is of a lower socio-economic status and greater ethnic diversity. Implications of the proposed project if H2FPEF is proved to be generalizable to the study population is that it can be used within the Trust and rolled out to others. This would allow diagnosis to be made quicker and more cost effectively using echocardiography and without the need for invasive cardiac catheterisation. On the other hand if H2FPEF is found not to be applicable to the population then further research would be required to find the ideal diagnostic tool.