Aims: We sought to determine the association between myocardial scarring, gender, and survival in patients with significant coronary artery disease (CAD) and severe systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction using delayed hyper-enhancement cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (DHE-CMR).
Methods and results: We studied 339 patients (24% women, mean age 65 +/- 11 years) referred for assessment of myocardial viability by DHE-CMR. Scar was defined as myocardium with an intensity >2 SD above viable myocardium. Left ventricular scar (defined as a percentage of total LV myocardium), LV volumes, risk factors, cardiac transplantation (CTx), and all-cause mortality were recorded. There were 84 deaths and five CTx over 3.7 +/- 1.6 years (median 4 years, interquartile range 2.6-4.9 years). Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in men was only slightly different from women (23% +/- 9 vs. 25% +/- 10, P = 0.05), whereas mean scar % was similar in both groups (32 +/- 21 vs. 29 +/- 20, P = 0.3). On univariable survival analysis, age [hazard ratio, HR, 1.03 (1.01-1.05), P = 0.002], female gender [HR 2.02 (1.31-3.12), P = 0.001], and scar % [HR 1.01 (1.003-1.02), P = 0.009] predicted outcomes; and also on multivariable analysis (chi(2) 32, P < 0.0001). Women with scar % greater than the median had more events, compared with men with or without a high scar burden (log-rank P < 0.001).
Conclusion: In patients with CAD and severely reduced LVEF, women have worse outcomes than men, irrespective of myocardial scar burden.