Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Risk Index Predicts 1-Year Mortality in Patients with Heart Failure: An Analysis of the SELFIE-TR Study

OBJECTIVE: Predicting outcomes is an essential part of evaluation of patients with heart failure (HF). While there are multiple individual laboratory and imaging variables as well as risk scores available for this purpose, they are seldom useful during the initial evaluation. In this analysis, we aimed to elucidate the predictive usefulness of Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Risk Index (TIMI-RI), a simple index calculated at the bedside with three commonly available variables, using data from a multicenter HF registry. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 728 patients from 23 centers were included in this analysis. Data on hospitalizations and mortality were collected by direct interviews, phone calls, and electronic databases. TIMI-RI was calculated as heart rate × (age/10)²/systolic pressure. Patients were divided into three equal tertiles to perform analyses. RESULTS: Rehospitalization for HF was significantly higher in patients within the 3rd tertile, and 33.5% of patients within the 3rd tertile had died within 1-year follow-up as compared to 14.5% of patients within the 1st tertile and 15.6% of patients within the 2nd tertile (p < 0.001, log-rank p < 0.001 for pairwise comparisons). The association between TIMI-RI and mortality remained significant (OR: 1.74, 95% CI: 1.05–2.86, p = 0.036) after adjustment for other variables. A TIMI-RI higher than 33 had a negative predictive value of 84.8% and a positive predictive value of 33.8% for prediction of 1-year mortality. CONCLUSION: TIMI-RI is a simple index that predicts 1-year mortality in patients with HF; it could be useful for rapid evaluation and triage of HF patients at the time of initial contact.