The ordinal scale of X-ray assessment of venous congestion in chronic heart failure

Aim. To develop an ordinal scale for x-ray assessment of venous congestion in chronic heart failure based on the results of the standard assessment of chest radiographs.

Methods. The ordinal assessment on the scale consists of a numerical expression of four radiological symptoms: cardiomegaly, pleural effusion, and changes in the pulmonary pattern due to vascular and interstitial components. The presence of each of these symptoms corresponds to a score of 1 point. In the result, ordinal X-ray assessment varies from 0 to 4 points. Simultaneously objective clinical, instrumental and laboratory measures of the severity of congestive heart failure were recorded in patients.

Results. Cardiomegaly, the presence of pleural effusion and changes in the pulmonary pattern due to vascular and interstitial components was numerically estimated according to the standard assessment of chest X-rays for the scale of radiological assessment of venous congestion. Correlation between numerical estimates of the ordinal scale and objective clinical, instrumental and laboratory measures of venous stasis in the sample of 225 patients showed the validity of the assessment. The statistically significant direct relationships between value of the ordinal scale for X-ray assessment of venous congestion with functional class and stage of chronic heart failure, the level of NT-terminal fragment of brain natriuretic peptide, the frequency of respiratory movements, the scale of clinical state, the index of the left atrium, the systolic pressure in the pulmonary artery, as well as an inverse dependence with the 6-minute walk test values were proved. Sufficient internal consistency of the ordinal scale was demonstrated (Cronbach's alpha 0.73). We also found that the scale demonstrated predictive informativeness, which was manifested by a significant increase in the mortality of patients with chronic heart failure in cases where the scale values increase to ≥2.

Conclusion. The proposed ordinal scale for x-ray assessment of venous congestion has sufficient reliability (internal consistency) for practical application, as well as criteria and prognostic validity; the scale can be considered as a simple, accessible and informative addition to the standard examination of polymorbid patients with chronic heart failure, which may be useful for advanced assessment of the patient's condition and risk of death within the next year.