Li F, Xu M, Fu M, et al. - The association between the soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2 (sST2)/left ventricular mass index (LVMI) ratio and the composite outcome was linear in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. There was an association between a higher baseline ratio of sST2/LVMI with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and heart failure rehospitalization in the short-term follow-up.

• Researchers included a total of 45 patients in this study (48 ± 14 years was the average age, and approximately 20% of them were men).

• Follow up period was 9 months, during which the primary outcome occurred in 15 patients.

• In this Kaplan–Meier analysis, results exhibited that patients with a high sST2/LVMI ratio (≥ 0.39) had shorter event-free survival than those with intermediate (between 0.39 and 0.24) and low ratios (< 0.24) (log-rank, P = 0.022).

• According to the findings, the fully adjusted multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that the sST2/LVMI ratio was positively correlated with the composite outcome in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction after adjusting for confounders (hazard ratio 1.64, 95% confidence interval 1.06 to 2.54).

• By subgroup analysis, they observed a stronger relationship with age between 40 and 55 years, systolic blood pressure < 115 or ≥ 129 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure < 74 mmHg, hematocrit < 44.5%, and interventricular septum thickness ≥ 8.5 mm.