The prognostic value of big endothelin-1 in more than 2,300 patients with heart failure enrolled in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT).

Background: Endothelin is elevated in heart failure and contributes to neurohormonal activation, hemodynamic deterioration, and cardiovascular remodeling. Here, we examined its prognostic value in a large population of patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods And Results: Big endothelin-1 (Big ET-1) and 4 other neurohormones were measured at study entry in 2359 patients enrolled in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT) and their concentrations related to outcome over a median follow-up of 23 months.

Left bundle-branch block is associated with increased 1-year sudden and total mortality rate in 5517 outpatients with congestive heart failure: a report from the Italian network on congestive heart failure.

Background: A deleterious effect of complete left bundle-branch block (LBBB) on left ventricular function has been established. Nevertheless, the independent effect of a widened QRS on mortality rate in congestive heart failure (CHF) is still controversial. Therefore, we carried out this analysis to determine whether LBBB is an independent predictor of mortality in CHF.