Red Blood Cell Distribution Width as New Biomarker in Predicting Outcomes after Aortic Valve Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Calogera Pisano, Paolo Nardi, Fabio Bertoldo, Claudia Altieri and Giovanni Ruvolo

Department of Cardiac Surgery, Tor Vergata University Hospital, Rome, Italy

^*Correspondance to: Calogera Pisano 

 PDF  Full Text DOI: 10.25107/2474-1647.2463

Abstract

Objective: Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW) is a measurement of the size variation as well as an erythrocyte heterogeneity index used in combination with the mean corpuscular volume for anemia diagnosis. It’s emerging as a useful predictor biomarker of mortality and morbidity of cardiovascular diseases. Until now no literature data there are about the RDW role in predicting mortality after Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR). Thus, in this pilot study biological significance of elevated RDW values in early outcome following AVR was evaluated.
Methods: We enrolled 75 patients (mean age 73.5 ± 7.9 years) after isolated AVR. Demographics, comorbidities, clinical presentations, and laboratory parameters were collected. Multivariate and univariate analysis were performed in determine associations between preoperative RDW values and postoperative outcome.
Results: Preoperative higher RDW values had a prevalence of 41% (31 patients) in AVR cases studied. These 31 patients were older (76 ± 5.5 years vs. 71.6 ± 8.9 years, p=0.02) with higher platelet count (p=0.005) than the other 44 cases. In addition, they represented the patients that should have likely required renal replacement therapy (13% vs. 0%, p=0.026), and prolonged ventilation (16% vs. 0%, p=0.01) after surgery. Multivariate adjustment analysis also demonstrated significant associations between higher preoperative RDW values with high BMI values (p=0.05) and renal failure (p=0.06 and p=0.02).
Conclusion: Increased RDW values seem to be a good predictor biomarker of early outcome after AVR, particularly in patients with high BMI, renal impairment and postoperative prolonged ventilation.

Keywords

Red cell distribution width; Aortic valve replacement; Mortality and morbidity

Cite the article

Pisano C, Nardi P, Bertoldo F, Altieri C, Ruvolo G. Red Blood Cell Distribution Width as New Biomarker in Predicting Outcomes after Aortic Valve Replacement: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Clin Surg. 2019; 4: 2463.