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Combined ventricular systolic and arterial stiffening in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction: implications for systolic and diastolic reserve limitations.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HF-nlEF) is common in aged individuals with systolic hypertension and is frequently ascribed to diastolic dysfunction. We hypothesized that such patients also display combined ventricular-systolic and arterial stiffening that can exacerbate blood pressure lability and diastolic dysfunction under stress. METHODS AND RESULTS: Left ventricular pressure-volume relations were measured in patients with HF-nlEF (n=10) and contrasted with asymptomatic age-matched (n=9) and young (n=14) normotensives and age- and blood pressure-matched controls (n=25). End-systolic elastance (stiffness) was higher in patients with HF-nlEF (4.7+/-1.5 mm Hg/mL) than in controls (2.1+/-0.9 mm Hg/mL for normotensives and 3.3+/-1.0 mm Hg/mL for hypertensives; P<0.001). Effective arterial elastance was also higher (2.6+/-0.5 versus 1.9+/-0.5 mm Hg/mL) due to reduced total arterial compliance; the latter inversely correlated with end-systolic elastance (P=0.0001). Body size and stroke volumes were similar and could not explain differences in ventricular-arterial stiffening. HF-nlEF patients also displayed diastolic abnormalities, including higher left ventricular end-diastolic pressures (24.3+/-4.6 versus 12.9+/-5.5 mm Hg), caused by an upward-shifted diastolic pressure-volume curve. However, isovolumic relaxation and the early-to-late filling ratio were similar in age- and blood pressure-matched controls. Ventricular-arterial stiffening amplified stress-induced hypertension, which worsened diastolic function, and predicted higher cardiac energy costs to provide reserve output. CONCLUSION: Patients with HF-lnEF have systolic-ventricular and arterial stiffening beyond that associated with aging and/or hypertension. This may play an important pathophysiological role by exacerbating systemic load interaction with diastolic function, augmenting blood pressure lability, and elevating cardiac metabolic demand under stress.

Adult↗

Prognosis in patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction after myocardial infarction. Importance of exercise capacity.

The measurement of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) plays a key role in many strategies for managing patients after acute myocardial infarction. We tested the hypothesis that exercise capacity 1 month after myocardial infarction provides additional information in patients with a low LVEF and therefore assists in risk stratification. One hundred fifteen patients, with documented myocardial infarction and LVEF less than 35% by gated radionuclide scan 1 month after acute myocardial infarction, were followed up for 2 months to 7 years. Exercise capacity was estimated from a treadmill test 1 month after infarction. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, exercise capacity was a significant predictor of death or reinfarction. The relative risk of death, based on a comparison between the lowermost quintile (less than 4 METS) and uppermost quintile (greater than 7 METS), was 3.5 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-9.7); the relative risk in the fourth, third, and second quintile was 2.7, 2.1, and 1.6, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, the observed effect of a good exercise capacity was independent of LVEF. These data indicate that in patients with a low LVEF after myocardial infarction, useful prognostic information can be obtained from exercise testing.

Exercise↗

[Effect of PGE1 on the left ventricular ejection fraction].

12 patients with impaired left ventricular function were submitted to left ventricular ejection fraction measurements before and after increasing doses of PGE1 administered by i.v. or i.a. infusion. 6 responders out of the 12 patients showed a significant (p less than 0.01) improvement in LVEF, whereas the LVEF remained unchanged in the remaining 6 patients. 4 of the responders had received intravenous and 2 had received intraarterial PGE 1. Afterload reduction, venous tonisation, increased myocardial contractility and metabolic effects may be causative factors. These results suggest that PGE 1 therapy may be of therapeutic benefit in some patients with impaired LVEF.

Adult↗

[Normal behavior during the exercise test of the left ventricular ejection fraction determined by an angioscintigraphic method].

UNLABELLED: The correct definition of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) normal response to exercise is still debated. The lack of unanimous agreement firstly depends on the different normality criteria adopted in literature. In order to make ligh, we carefully reviewed several papers on this matter, and performed exercise radionuclide angiography (RNA), by multiple gated blood pool, in 2 different populations. I group: 39 normal subjects, selected on the basis of normal clinical examinations, ECG, X-ray film, exercise test, at rest LVEF greater than 50%: 20 males, mean age 43 +/- 13%. II group: 22 patients, abnormal from the clinical point of view, but elsewhere included in control groups: 13 males, mean age 54 +/- 9%. 14 of them refer only atypical chest pain, in 5 the sole abnormal finding is an exercise-induced ST depression greater than 1 mm, in 2 a left bundle branch block at rest, 1 patient suffers from X syndrome. Symptom limited exercise RNA was carried out by adopting a semi supine (40 degrees) cycloergometer, with a 25 watt initial workload and 25 watt subsequent increases every 3 minutes; count acquisition lasted 2 minutes, from the end of the 1st to the end of the 3rd, during each stage of the test. RESULTS: I group: constant LVEF increment during exercise in all subjects: mean LVEF at rest was 65 +/- 8%, at maximum workload 80 +/- 8%: mean increase was 15 +/- 7%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

The radionuclide ejection fraction: a comparison of three radionuclide techniques with contrast angiography.

Left-ventricular ejection fraction (EF) can be measured by several radionuclide methods. The EFs determined by three such methods (first-transit time-activity, equilibrium blood-pool time-activity, and equilibrium blood-pool area-length) were compared in 30 patients with EFs measured by area-length analysis of x-ray contrast angiograms. Both time-activity methods (first-transit and blood-pool) yielded EFs that correlated well with x-ray contrast EFs (r=0.86 and 0.84, respectively). Area-length analysis of blood-pool images yielded EFs that agreed less well with x-ray contrast EFs (r=0.73 in the RAO view, 0.70 in the LAO view). We conclude that first-transit and blood-pool techniques are equally accurate methods for determining EF when the time-activity method of analysis is employed.

Adult↗

Examination and comparative study of a simple method to determine the left ventricular ejection fraction.

The authors developed a simple radioisotopic method for determining the left ventricular ejection fraction with 99mTc-labelled red blood cells. The semi-quantitative data is acquired at the equilibrium stage and gated to the ECG. The results of this atraumatic and reproducible isotopic determination of LVEF correlate statistically well those of echocardiography and left ventricular angiography.

Adolescent↗

Measurement of right and left ventricular ejection fractions by gated equilibrium scintigraphy using Fourier functional images.

Left and right ventricular ejection fractions (LVEF and RVEF) were calculated by gated equilibrium scintigraphy in 28 normal controls and in 21 patients with heart disease. Regions of interest (ROIs) for the ventricles were assigned on the amplitude and phase Fourier images. Two methods of preprocessing of data were compared. In Method 1 the resolution was improved and the statistical noise was reduced, while in Method 2 only the statistical noise was reduced. There were no differences between the results of the two methods for the left ventricle. The mean LVEF for normal subjects was 0.63 +/- 0.06. For the right ventricle, Method 1 showed higher sensitivity in detecting reduced RVEF in pathological situations. The mean RVEF by Method 1 for normal controls was 0.56 +/- 0.07, which is significantly different (p less than 0.001) than that found by Method 2 (0.36 +/- 0.05), and similar to those reported by others employing the firstpass method. The results show the usefulness of the phase Fourier image and the importance of a suitable preprocessing of data for determining RVEF by gated equilibrium scintigraphy.

Adolescent↗

Subjective visual echocardiographic estimate of left ventricular ejection fraction as an alternative to conventional echocardiographic methods: comparison with contrast angiography.

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a measure of ventricular function with clinical and prognostic significance and can be reliably calculated with various M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic formulas in selected, good quality echocardiograms. Subjective visual echocardiographic estimate of LVEF is a potentially less time consuming and more widely applicable method. In order to test its reliability, we performed a prospective blind trial in 40 consecutive patients undergoing biplane contrast ventriculography (BCV), to compare the visual estimate of LVEF during a complete echocardiogram of three independent observers with (1) cubed M-mode formula, (2) Teichholz M-mode formula, (3) length-area method from the four-chamber view, and (4) Simpson's single plane formula. BCV was the reference method. The best correlation with BCV was obtained by visual estimate [r of the three observers, respectively = 0.75; 0.84; 0.81] and M-mode measurements [r (1) = 0.8; r (2) = 0.8], but the most sophisticated methods provided the poorest estimate [r (3) = 0.54; r (4) = 0.49]. All correlation coefficients improved when good studies, defined as a definition of the endocardial surface of more than 75%, were selected (n = 23), but the differences persisted. One observer systematically estimated higher values than the other two (Friedman's test, p less than 0.01) and this interobserver variability suggests that each echocardiographer should test himself against BCV in his lab in order to apply the visual estimate method reliably.

Adult↗

Evaluation of right ventricular volume and ejection fraction in children by two-dimensional echocardiography.

We estimated right ventricular volume and ejection by two-dimensional echocardiography (2DE) and compared the measurements with those obtained by right ventricular cineangiography (ANGIO) in 20 children whose ages ranged from 1 month to 10 years and who had a variety of congenital defects. The two echocardiographic planes used for calculating volume were the apical four-chamber (A4C) and parasternal short-axis (SA) planes. End diastolic volume (EDV) and end systolic volume (ESV) were calculated from these planes by single-plane area-length methods. The EDV and ESV were uniformly underestimated, but the estimate of ejection fraction (EF) was satisfactory. For EF, r = 0.83 from the apical four-chamber view and r = 0.78 from the short-axis view. The axes of the two echocardiographic planes passed through different segments of the right ventricle (RV) and we found that the value given by adding the volumes obtained from the two single-plane segments correlated quite well with the value obtained by angiography: for EDV, 2DE = 0.62 ANGIO + 7.0, r = 0.81, standard error of the estimate (s.e.e.) = 15.4 ml; for ESV, 2DE = 0.82 ANGIO + 1.4, r = 0.85, s.e.e. = 6.5 ml; and for EF, 2DE = 0.66 ANGIO + 17.8, r = 0.82, s.e.e. = 7.4 ml. Two-dimensional echocardiography can be used to evaluate right ventricular EF derived from volume measurements or from each of the echocardiographic planes of which, in our series, the apical four-chamber EF provided the better correlation.

Cardiac Output↗

Reproducibility of equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography in patients with coronary artery disease: response of left ventricular ejection fraction and regional wall motion to supine bicycle exercise.

To evaluate the reproducibility of ejection fraction (EF) and regional wall motion (RWM) analyses by rest and exercise equilibrium radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) in the presence of coronary artery disease (CAD), 18 patients underwent two maximum, multistage supine bicycle exercise studies separated by an interval of 2 weeks. There were no significant differences in EF between the two studies, both at rest (56.0 +/- 13.8% vs 58.2 +/- 11.7%, p = NS) and with exercise (51.1 +/- 17.6% vs 54.3 +/- 17.6%, p = NS) and a highly significant correlation was shown between the two groups of values (rest r = 0.90, exercise r = 0.93, p less than 0.001). There was no significant difference in the change from rest to exercise (-4.9 +/- 12.0% vs -3.8 +/- 11.5%, p = NS) between the two studies and the correlation was highly significant (r = 0.69, p less than 0.01). The interstudy variabilities were 2.2 +/- 6.1% and 1.2 +/- 7.3% for rest and exercise, respectively, and 2.0 +/- 9.2% for the change from rest to exercise. Ninety-four percent of both rest and exercise regions had similar RWM. Eighty-one percent of the abnormally contracting regions were common to both exercise studies. Utilizing conventional criteria for the diagnosis of CAD, 11 patients had abnormal EF response and nine had abnormal RWM response to exercise on both studies. Combining EF and RWM criteria resulted in the diagnosis of CAD in 15 patients in both studies. We conclude that: (1) there were no significant differences in rest and exercise radionuclide EF and RWM between two supine bicycle exercise studies performed 2 weeks apart in patients with stable CAD and there were significant correlations between the two studies; (2) despite these correlations, the interstudy variabilities emphasize the need for the inclusion of reproducibility studies in all evaluations of interventions by exercise radionuclide ventriculography; and (3) the variations in EF and RWM response to exercise result in lack of uniformity between the two studies regarding the diagnosis of CAD based on conventional RNV criteria.

Adult↗

An ischemic index from the electrocardiogram to select patients with low left ventricular ejection fraction for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Patients who have a decreased left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) may be denied coronary by-pass grafting (CABG) because it is assumed that improvement in function is unlikely. If the low LVEF were due to myocardial necrosis, this assumption would be valid. If the dysfunction were due to both necrosis and ischemia, however, then improvement may be possible with CABG. A method capable of identifying such patients would be useful. In this study, an "ischemic index" was determined for 37 patients based on the difference between the presurgical LVEF estimated from the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram by the Selvester QRS score (indicating the extent of dysfunction due to necrosis) and the presurgical LVEF measured from resting multigated radionuclide angiography (indicating dysfunction due to both necrosis and ischemia). It was hypothesized that a high ischemia index, that is, a large discrepancy between estimated and measured LVEF, would be associated with an improved post-surgical measured LVEF. The results showed that patients with an ischemic index of less than or equal to 0 had a mean decrease in LVEF of 8% (p = 0.02) and those with an index between 0 and 10 had no mean change. Patients with an index greater than or equal to 11, however, had a mean increase of 5% (p = 0.02), suggesting that depressed LVEF may improve following CABG among patients whose low function is due primarily to reversible ischemia as indicated by a high ischemic index.

Adult↗

Left ventricular ejection fraction measured with Doppler color flow mapping techniques.

To determine if left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) can be accurately measured from the color Doppler examination, 11 patients (aged 0.4 to 22 years) underwent 2-dimensional and color Doppler examinations within 24 hours of cardiac catheterization. With use of a biplane Simpson's rule, LV end-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume and EF were measured from cineangiograms, 2-dimensional echocardiograms and color Doppler examinations. The 2-dimensional echocardiographic and color Doppler measurements were obtained from apical 4-chamber and long-axis views. The color Doppler examinations were performed by placing the color sector over the left ventricle only. The velocity scale was set at the lowest possible Nyquist limit (less than 0.17 m/s), and the highest possible carrier frequency was used to obtain this limit. With these settings, all flow signals in the LV chamber were aliased so that the entire chamber was filled with mosaic color Doppler signals. Motion of the surrounding LV walls gave rise to nonaliased (pure red-blue) signals. With use of an off-line analysis system equipped with a color frame grabber, the border of the mosaic color flow area was traced to obtain volumes and EF. End-diastolic and end-systolic volumes measured with color Doppler correlated well with those measured from 2-dimensional echocardiography (r = 0.99, standard error of the estimate [SEE] = 11.9 ml; r = 0.99, SEE = 4.4 ml, respectively) and cineangiography (r = 0.92, SEE = 16.8 ml; r = 0.90, SEE = 9.9 ml, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Characteristics of patients who die with heart failure and a low ejection fraction in the new millennium.

BACKGROUND: Therapies for heart failure (HF) with a low ejection fraction (EF) have delayed disease progression and prolonged survival, but the implications of these therapies on the end stages of HF have not been examined. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients seen by the Brigham and Women's cardiomyopathy service with an EF < or =35%, at least 1 outpatient visit or at least 30 days of follow-up who died between January 1, 2000, and October 20, 2003, were evaluated retrospectively. Of the 160 patients who died since 2000, 80 (50%) were outpatients. In the 6 months before death, 93% of patients had New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV symptoms. The NYHA class, clinical characteristics, medications, and comorbidities differed little between inpatient and outpatient deaths. Renal insufficiency and hyponatremia were worse in the months preceding death than at the time of death (creatinine: 3.2 versus 2.3 mg/dL, P < .0001; sodium: 128 versus 135 mmol/L, P < .0001, respectively). Death was considered sudden in only 21% of patients. CONCLUSION: Deaths in the current era of HF management occur in patients with long-standing HF characterized by biventricular dysfunction and advanced symptoms. Most deaths are heralded by hyponatremia, acute on chronic renal insufficiency, and frequent hospitalizations.

Cardiac Output, Low↗

Multi-site-frequency electromechanocardiography for the prediction of ejection fraction and stroke volume in heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Methods for stroke volume (SV) and ejection fraction (EF) measurements require the presence of qualified physicians and are not suited for continuous monitoring. AIM: To develop an automated non-invasive method for the measurement and continuous monitoring of SV and EF. METHODS: We have designed a method for the measurement of EF and SV using multiple-site-impedance (z0) measurements, applying multiple frequencies of 5, 40 and 200 kHz whereby various segments of the human body, including volume changes within these segments, could be defined electrically. The obtained variables were used to train neuronal nets and related by multiple regression analyses to cardiac output (CO) as measured by a partial rebreathing Fick method (CO(r-fick)) or EF as measured by echocardiography (EF(echo)), respectively. A total of 129 subjects (48 with normal heart function and 81 with CHF, NYHA I-IV) were investigated. RESULTS: The multiply derived values of z0 and of change of impedance (dz/dt) were shown, by multiple regression analysis, to be significantly related to CO(r-fick) and to EF(echo), (total r=0.77, n=35, p<0.001, and r=0.81, n=47, p<0.001, respectively.). By training a neuronal net with the electrical data of 67 (out of 94) subjects, EF(echo) could be predicted in the remaining 27 subjects which were unknown to the neuronal net with a combined r=0.71 (p<0.001,n=27). In contrast, conventional impedance cardiography (ICG) was unable to predict either CO(r-fick) or EF(echo). CONCLUSION: The new method, which we call multi-site-frequency electromechanocardiography (msf-ELMC) appears promising for the automated electrical measurement of the mechanical heart action in patients with normal and reduced cardiac function.

Adult↗

Predictors of mortality in younger and older patients with heart failure and preserved or reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Although half of elderly patients with heart failure have preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), little is known about predictors of mortality in this group. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of 400 patients hospitalized at an academic medical center in 1999 with a principal discharge diagnosis of heart failure. Patients were divided into 4 groups on the basis of age > or =75 or <75 years and the presence of preserved or reduced LVEF. Vital status was ascertained as of October 2001. RESULTS: A total of 373 patients (mean age 69.1 years, 56.0% female, 47.5% nonwhite) underwent echocardiography to assess LVEF. Of these, 216 patients were <75 years of age (81 with preserved LVEF [group 1, 21.7%] and 135 with reduced LVEF [group 2, 36.2%]), and 157 were > or =75 years of age (81 with preserved LVEF [group 3, 21.7%] and 76 with reduced LVEF [group 4, 19.6%]). After a mean follow-up of 25 months, independent predictors of mortality among the 4 groups differed substantially: group 1, male sex, prescription of a calcium-channel blocker, and diuretic dose at discharge; group 2, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), lower hemoglobin level, and not being prescribed a beta-blocker at discharge; group 3, BUN; and group 4, older age, history of myocardial infarction, severity of reduced LVEF, and diuretic dose. CONCLUSION: In patients with heart failure, predictors of mortality vary by age and by the presence of preserved or reduced LVEF. Traditional predictors of mortality in patients with reduced LVEF may not apply to elderly patients with preserved LVEF.

Age Factors↗

Comparison of echocardiographic acoustic quantification with off-line manual tracing for determining left ventricular volume and ejection fraction in pediatric patients.

Echocardiographic measurement of left ventricular systolic and diastolic volume and ejection fraction in pediatric patients by acoustic quantification using automated border methods compares well with measurements done by manual trace. The time necessary for completion of measurements was similar for the two methods.

Adolescent↗

Outcome following mitral valve replacement in patients with mitral stenosis and moderately reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Some patients with mitral stenosis (MS) have moderately reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF), due to either depressed myocardial contractility or alterations in loading conditions. The effect of moderately reduced LV EF on outcome after mitral valve replacement (MVR) is not known. METHODS: We studied 16 consecutive patients with LV EF < or = 0.50 and MS without significant mitral regurgitation or other valvular or coronary artery disease (Group I). We selected four controls with LV EF >0.50 for each patient, matched for time of surgery (Group II, n=64). Mean EF in Groups I and II was 0.45 and 0.66, respectively. We compared short- and long-term outcome between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no perioperative deaths. Group I patients had a higher incidence of in-hospital postoperative heart failure (25% vs. 6%, P=0.02). Mean follow-up was 9 years in both groups. Mean New York Heart Association class improved from 2.4 to 1.7 in both groups. Group I patients had a higher incidence of heart failure deaths (13% vs. 2%, P=0.03) and admissions (40% vs. 13%, P=0.01). There were, however, no differences between Groups I and II in overall mortality (27% vs. 21%), rate of cardiac admissions (69% vs. 53%), or mean Specific Activity Scale Score (2.5 vs. 2.5). CONCLUSIONS: Although patients with MS and moderately reduced LV EF are at higher risk for heart failure after MVR, overall mortality is not different from that of patients with normal EF. Moderate depression of LV EF should not be a contraindication to MVR for MS.

Aged↗