Abstract 17185: Modest Performance of Heart Failure Clinical Prediction Models: A Systematic External Validation Study
Introduction: Most heart failure (HF) clinical prediction models (CPMs] have not been independently externally validated. We sought to test the performance of HF models in a diverse population using a systematic approach. Methods: A systematic review identified CPMs predicting outcomes for patients with HF. Individual patient data from 5 large publicaly available clinical trials enrolling patients with chronic HF were matched to published CPMs based on similarity in populations and available outcome and predictor variables in the clinical trial databases. CPM performance was evaluated for discrimination (c-statistic, % relative change in c-statistic) and calibration (Harrell’s E and E 90 , the mean and the 90% quantile of the error distribution from the smoothed loess observed value) for the original and recalibrated models. Results: Out of 135 HF CPMs reviewed, we identified 45 CPM-trial pairs including 13 unique CPMs. The outcome was mortality for all of the models with a trial match. During external validations, median c-statistic was 0.595 (IQR 0.563 to 0.630) with a median relative decrease in the c-statistic of -57 % (IQR, -49% to -71%) compared to the c-statistic reported in the derivation cohort. Overall, the median Harrell’s E was 0.09 (IQR, 0.04 to 0.135) and E 90 was 0.11 (IQR, 0.07 to 0.21). Recalibration of the intercept and slope led to substantially improved calibration with median change in Harrell’s E of -35% [IQR 0 to -75%] for the intercept and -56% [IQR -17% to -75%] for the intercept and slope. Refitting model covariates improved the median c-statistic by 38% to 0.629 [IQR 0.613 to 0.649]. Conclusion: For HF CPMs, independent external validations demonstrate that CPMs perform significantly worse than originally presented; however with significant heterogeneity. Recalibration of the intercept and slope improved model calibration. These results underscore the need to carefully consider the derivation cohort characteristics when using published CPMs.