The following is a summary of “Sex-related differences in patients presenting with heart failure–related cardiogenic shock,” published in the February 2024 issue of Cardiology by Sundermeyer et al.

Despite its prominence in cardiogenic shock cases, sex-based dissimilarities in treatment utilization and mortality risk remain understudied in heart failure-related cardiogenic shock (HF-CS).

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore gender-based variations in clinical presentation, treatment utilization, and mortality rates among individuals with HF-CS.

They conducted an international observational study, enrolling patients with HF-CS (excluding acute myocardial infarction) from 16 tertiary-care centers across five countries between 2010 and 2021. Logistic and Cox regression models were employed to evaluate distinctions in clinical presentation, treatment utilization, and 30-day mortality between women and men with HF-CS.

The results showed that out of the 1,030 patients with HF-CS analyzed, 290 (28.2%) were women. In comparison to men, women tended to be older, less likely to have a known history of heart failure or cardiovascular risk factors and had lower rates of highly depressed left ventricular ejection fraction and renal dysfunction. However, CS severity and treatment utilization were similar between the genders, and the female sex was not independently linked to 30-day mortality (53.0% vs. 50.8%; adjusted HR 0.94, 95% CI 0.75–1.19).

Investigators concluded that despite differences in risk factors and presentation, similar treatment led to equal mortality in sexes with HF-CS. Sex-specific therapy targeting these distinctions warrants exploration for potential outcome improvement.

Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00392-024-02392-8