Abstract

BACKGROUND: The effect of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) on outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) has not been examined in propensity-matched studies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of the 2689 patients with advanced chronic systolic HF in the Beta-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial, 441 had a history of PAD. Propensity scores for a history of PAD, calculated for each patient using a multivariable logistic regression model, were used to assemble a matched cohort of 299 and 1015 patients, respectively, with and without PAD who were well balanced on 65 measured baseline characteristics. Cox regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% CIs for associations between PAD and outcomes during 4.1 years of follow-up. Patients had a mean age of 63+/-11 years, 19% were women, and 19% were black. All-cause mortality occurred in 43% and 33% of patients with and without a history of PAD, respectively (hazard ratio when PAD was compared with no history of PAD, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.72; P=0.001). All-cause hospitalization occurred in 75% and 63% of patients with and without PAD, respectively (hazard ratio when PAD was compared with no history of PAD, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.58; P<0.0001). PAD-associated hazard ratios for cardiovascular mortality, HF mortality, and HF hospitalization were 1.31 (95% CI, 1.04 to 1.63; P=0.019), 1.40 (95% CI, 0.97 to 2.02; P=0.076), and 1.05 (95% CI, 0.86 to 1.29; P=0.635), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In a well-balanced propensity-matched population of chronic systolic HF patients, a history of PAD was independently associated with increased mortality and hospitalization.