Association between central haemodynamics and risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The aim of this meta-analysis of longitudinal studies was to obtain a valid and cogent assessment of predictive value of central haemodynamic variables for cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality. We searched for eligible articles using MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE and Web of Science between 1 January 1969 and 31 December 2017. We finally included 24 prospective cohort studies, comprising 146,986 individuals for this analysis. Adjusted pooled hazard ratio of total cardiovascular events was 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.16) for a 10 mmHg increase of central systolic pressure, 1.12 (95% CI 1.05–1.19) for a 10 mmHg increase of central pulse pressure and 1.18 (95% CI 1.09–1.27) for a 10% increase of central augmentation index. Furthermore, pooled hazard ratio of all-cause mortality was 1.22 (95% CI 1.14–1.31) for a 10 mmHg increase of central pulse pressure and 1.19 (95% CI 1.05–1.34) for a 10% increase of central augmentation index. Central haemodynamic variables are independent predictors of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. This finding supports the notion that central pressure components and indices could be suitably implemented in clinical practice.