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Effect of mental stress on left ventricular ejection fraction and its relationship to the severity of coronary artery disease.

To evaluate the relationship between the mental stress-induced decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and the severity of exercise-induced ischaemia, 20 patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) underwent radionuclide ventriculography during mental stress testing and stress myocardial perfusion single-photon emission tomography (SPET). We also examined whether changes in haemodynamic and neurohormonal parameters are related to changes in LVEF during mental stress. The LVEF decreased from 54.8% +/- 17.7% to 49.8% +/- 16.2% with mental stress (P < 0.0005). Ten of the 20 patients (50.0%) had a > or = 5% decrease in LVEF The remaining ten patients had no or a <5% decrease in LVEF There was a significant correlation between the change in LVEF during mental stress and the size of the reversible defect on stress myocardial perfusion SPET (r = -0.80, P < 0.0005), with close regional correspondence (75% identical). This correlation was less strong in the 12 patients with a total defect score at rest of <10 (r = -0.69, P = 0.014) than in the eight patients with a total defect score at rest of > or = 10 (r = -0.94, P = 0.001). The changes in blood pressure and heart rate were not significantly correlated with the change in LVEF, but the percent change in adrenaline concentration correlated with the change in LVEE It is suggested that mental stress impairs systolic function by inducing transient myocardial ischaemia. The effect of neurohormonal responses during mental stress on LV systolic function may also be important in patients with CAD.

Aged↗

Value of left ventricular ejection fraction in extensive anterior infarction to predict development of ventricular tachycardia.

In 33 patients admitted with an extensive acute anterior myocardial infarction (MI), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was determined within 1 week after MI using radionuclide angiography. In 15 patients, sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) developed in the second and third week after MI. Thirteen of the 15 patients had an LVEF less than 40%. Only 3 of 18 patients who did not develop late VT had an LVEF less than 40%. Of the 15 patients who developed VT, 8 had right bundle branch block within 48 hours after the onset of chest pain. Right bundle branch block was seen in only 3 of the 18 patients who did not develop VT. We conclude that in patients with extensive anterior MI, a radionuclide LVEF of less than 40% identifies a group at high risk of developing VT within a few weeks after MI.

Adult↗

Relation of late potentials to ejection fraction and wall motion abnormalities in acute myocardial infarction.

A prospective study was performed to determine the relation between quantitative signal-averaged parameters and ejection fraction (EF) and wall motion abnormalities determined by radionuclide ventriculography in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). In 50 patients with AMI, signal-averaging of the surface QRS complex (200 beats; filter frequencies of 40 to 250 Hz and 80 to 250 Hz) was performed and radionuclide ventriculograms were recorded 8 +/- 5 days after AMI. Twenty-five of these patients (50%) had anterior wall AMI, 20 (40%) had inferior wall AMI and 5 (10%) had non-Q-wave AMI. The duration of the low-amplitude signals of less than 40 microV, the signal-averaged QRS complex and the root-mean-square voltage of the terminal 40 ms were determined. In addition to EF determinations, wall motion abnormalities were assessed for the presence or absence of dyskinetic, akinetic and hypokinetic segments. A wall motion score was constructed by separating the left and right ventricles into 21 segments in the anterior, left anterior oblique and lateral views. On the basis of the presence or absence of late potentials, the patients were separated into 2 groups: group I comprised 15 patients (30%) with late potentials and group II 35 patients (70%) without late potentials. The low-amplitude signals (49 +/- 12 vs 24 +/- 8 ms) and the signal-averaged QRS complex (122 +/- 20 vs 96 +/- 15 ms) were significantly longer and the root-mean-square voltage (13.8 +/- 4.9 vs 54.3 +/- 27.4 microV) significantly lower in group I than in group II.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Action Potentials↗

Determination of left ventricular ejection fraction by computer densitometric analysis of digital subtraction angiography: experimental validation and correlation with area-length methods.

Conventional methods for calculating left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) require accurate edge definition and geometric assumptions, which may be compromised in the presence of dyssynergy. Computer densitometric analysis (CDA) of digital subtraction angiography offers the potential for calculation of EF, independent of LV shape, by comparing summated brightness for regions of interest at end diastole and end systole. Therefore, the accuracy of CDA was validated for 2 mechanical heart models of differing geometry, spherical and rectangular. Both models confirmed the close correlation between calculated and measured EF (r = 0.98 and r = 0.99, respectively). Subsequently, the CDA was compared with single and biplane area-length EF calculations in 72 patients, half with a previous myocardial infarction. In patients without previous myocardial infarction, CDA correlated closely with both single-plane and biplane EF (r = 0.91 and 0.93, respectively). The close correlation was maintained regardless of whether CDA was applied to direct LV injection or intravenous digital subtraction angiography. However, in 36 patients with previous myocardial infarction, CDA correlated less closely with single-plane (r = 0.74) than with biplane (r = 0.86) area-length EF. Thus, CDA permits calculation of EF without geometric assumptions, and may be superior to the area-length method in patients with LV dyssynergy after myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

Visual estimation versus quantitative assessment of left ventricular ejection fraction: a comparison by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the visual and quantitative assessment for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in normal subjects and patients with impaired LV function. METHODS: One hundred subjects (40 normal subjects, 40 patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy, and 20 patients with nonischemic cardiomyopathy) were investigated using a 1.5-T cardiovascular magnetic resonance imager. Images were acquired by a fast gradient-echo sequence with steady-state free precession using the standard short-axis method. Left ventricular EF was calculated from the sums of the outlined areas using the Simpson rule. Interobserver variability between the calculated and the visual EF was assessed. Analyses were performed randomly and blinded by 2 independent observers. RESULTS: Left ventricular EF was significantly underestimated by the visual read in all 3 groups (mean difference: normal subjects -2.6% +/- 2.6%, ischemic cardiomyopathy -1.7% +/- 2.1%, and nonischemic cardiomyopathy -1.2% +/- 2.1%; P < or = .02). The difference was larger in normal subjects than in patients with cardiomyopathy (P = .04). The interobserver variability was smaller for the quantitative assessment than for the visual estimation. CONCLUSION: Left ventricular EF is underestimated by visual estimation compared with the quantitative assessment. The visual approach for EF assessment may be used for rapid assessment of left ventricular function in clinical practice where accuracy is of less concern. For most accurate analysis, the quantitative standard short axis approach is required.

Female↗

Characterization of health-related quality of life in heart failure patients with preserved versus low ejection fraction in CHARM.

BACKGROUND: Limited comparative studies assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQL) in heart failure (HF) patients with preserved vs. low ejection fraction (LVEF) have been disparate. AIMS: The aims of this study were a) to characterize HRQL in a large population of HF patients with preserved and low LVEF and b) to determine the factors associated with worse HRQL. METHODS: Patients with symptomatic HF (NYHA Class II-IV) enrolled in the Candesartan in Heart Failure: Assessment of Reduction in Mortality and Morbidity (CHARM) HRQL study completed the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire at randomization. Patients were stratified into 2 HF cohorts: preserved LVEF (>40%) and low LVEF (<or=40%). RESULTS: In 2709 of the eligible 2744 (98.6%) patients, the summary scores ranged from 0 to 105 (mean 40.9). There were no differences in overall responses of HF patients with preserved vs. low LVEF (41.1 vs. 40.8). Independent factors associated with worse HRQL in both populations included female gender, younger age, higher body mass index, lower systolic blood pressure, greater symptom burden, and worse functional status. CONCLUSIONS: In symptomatic HF patients, HRQL is equally impaired in both preserved and low LVEF populations. Targeting improvement in symptoms and HRQL is an important treatment objective in all HF patients.

Adult↗

A visual approach for the accurate determination of echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction by medical students.

BACKGROUND: Previously published reports show that there is significant intraobserver, interobserver, and interinstitutional variability in the determination of left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) by echocardiography. With the increased deployment of echocardiography (eg, handheld devices), there exists a need for developing a simple, intuitive approach for evaluating LVEF that allows a wider range of physicians to accurately and rapidly determine LVEF. OBJECTIVE: We sought to create a system for assessing LVEF that relies on recognition and matching of patterns, rather than on mathematic calculations and geometric assumptions. METHODS: A library of videoclips of cardiac function was compiled from 54 patients who spanned the spectrum of LVEF. LVEFs were calculated for these patients using standard echocardiographic methods, with further validation of a subsample using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging measurement of LVEF. The library of images was used to create a software tool for assessing LVEF on the basis of a "template-matching" approach. The software tool was then tested on medical students (N=13) to determine whether it enabled relatively untrained individuals to make accurate LVEF estimates. RESULTS: Using a template-matching approach for interpretation of echocardiograms, medical students were able to accurately estimate LVEF after only a limited introduction to echocardiography. Their LVEF estimates showed good correlation and agreement with gold standard (r = 0.88, standard square of the estimate = 6.0, limits of agreement = +12.0%, -15.6%). CONCLUSIONS: A new visual approach for assessing cardiac function using template matching can accurately estimate LVEF. With minimal training, medical students can make LVEF estimates that correlate well with gold standard. The application of this new approach includes allowing for the interpretation of LVEF from echocardiograms to be performed by a broader spectrum of physicians.

Adult↗

Comparison of automatic quantification software for the measurement of ventricular volume and ejection fraction in gated myocardial perfusion SPECT.

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of three different software packages for the calculation of ejection fraction (EF) and end diastolic volume (EDV) from gated myocardial single photon emission computed tomography studies. Two hundred patients undergoing gated stress myocardial perfusion scans were analysed retrospectively. Patients were grouped as follows: small heart (n=31), normal perfusion scan (n=71), and scan with perfusion defects (n=98). EF and EDV were calculated for each using QGS (Cedars Sinai, Los Angeles, CA), 4D-MSPECT (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI), and ECT (Emory University, Atlanta, GA). Bland-Altman plots, repeated measures ANOVA, and linear regression analysis were used to compare methods. Correlation coefficients between the methods for both EF and EDV were high, greater than 0.9. However, Bland-Altman plots revealed a large standard deviation of the difference between methods, preventing the confident estimate of the value of one method from an observation of another. Despite good correlation, the variance between methods was high. These algorithms behave differently, produce widely variable results from one another, and should not be used interchangeably. It may prove prudent for laboratories to independently validate the software algorithm that is chosen against a 'gold standard' using their own population.

Adolescent↗

Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and less than 20% ejection fraction increase exercise capacity and have less severe arrhythmia after controlled exercise training.

The results of this pilot study suggest that patients with a diminished ejection fraction as low as 16% can safely perform an exercise program. A significant improvement in peak VO2 and maximal work rate was achieved. Moreover, this study suggests that exercise training might diminish the severity of asymptomatic ventricular arrhythmia; however a larger controlled study is needed to confirm these findings.

Arrhythmias, Cardiac↗

Simultaneous assessment of right ventricular ejection fraction and central haemodynamics at rest and during exercise in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

In 10 patients, aged 55-73, with pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) was measured simultaneously with central haemodynamics twice, at rest and during exercise. In the first investigation, RVEF was measured with first pass (FP) radionuclide angiocardiography using 133Xe and 99Tcm as tracers. In the second investigation after 1 h's rest, RVEF was measured with equilibrium (EQ) radionuclide angiocardiography. Significant correlations were found between RVEF and pulmonary artery pressure (r = -0.76 to -0.88) and between RVEF and right arterial pressure (r = -0.76 to -0.84) at rest and during exercise. RVEF was low or decreased during exercise in all patients with haemodynamic signs of right ventricular failure. Good correlations were found between the FP and EQ techniques for measuring RVEF both at rest, r = 0.86, and during exercise, r = 0.91. RVEF, measured with the FP technique, showed better reproducibility and better correlation to haemodynamic variables and to history of right ventricular failure than the EQ technique. Thus, the FP technique seemed to be the method of choice for assessment of RVEF.

Aged↗

Reproducibility of ejection fraction and ventricular volume by gated radionuclide angiography after myocardial infarction.

To validate the repeated use of radionuclide equilibrium angiography for determining left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) and end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (EDV and ESV), 25 patients were studied on an hourly basis an average of 9.1 days after acute myocardial infarction. Data were processed with a semi-automatic computer program which develops an averaged-volume curve from an assigned LV region-of-interest. LV EDV and ESV were derived from a previously described method which correlates well with contrast angiography (r = 0.977, y = 0.0255x - 0.121). Comparison between initial and subsequent equilibrium EF and between initial and subsequent volumes showed excellent correlation. Excluding three anginal episodes, the EF variation between studies averaged 0.03 +/- 0.02.

Acute Disease↗

Prediction of life-threatening arrhythmia in patients after myocardial infarction by late potentials, ejection fraction and Holter monitoring.

In order to compare the prognostic significance of late potentials (LPs) on signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SA-ECG), left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) and 24-hour Holter monitoring (HM) following myocardial infarction, a prospective study on 60 patients (age 61.7 +/- 8.02 years old) just after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was done. LPs, EF and HM were performed in all patients. Coronary arteriography had been done in 25 patients. The results showed that LPs were associated with a slightly higher incidence of life-threatening arrhythmia (34.8%) than HM (28.6%) and EF (25%). During the follow-up period (10 +/- 6 months), 9 patients had serious ventricular arrhythmic events, among whom 3 had sudden death due to ventricular fibrillation. The event rate in patients with abnormal LPs was higher than in patients with normal LPs (p = 0.01, odds ratio = 19.2). The study showed that there was no correlation between abnormal LPs and sex, age, number of narrowed coronary arteries, ventricular aneurysm, location of myocardial infarction, or EF alone. But there was a correlation between abnormal LPs and high grade ventricular ectopic activity detected by HM (r = 0.62899, p = 0.024). In addition, the combination of abnormal values of LPs, EF and HM could predict sustained ventricular tachycardia or sudden death in the first year after myocardial infarction with very high sensitivity (100%) as well as high specificity (p = 0.0009, odds ratio = 19).

Adult↗

Patterns of exercise response in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction: radionuclide ejection fraction and hemodynamic cardiac performance evaluations.

To evaluate the exercise response of the severely diseased left ventricle, 13 patients with chronic congestive cardiomyopathy with mean resting ejection fraction (EF) of 18.8 +/- 9.6% underwent maximal supine bicycle exercise with hemodynamic and radionuclide monitoring. Two patterns of exercise response were noted. Group I (n = 7) was characterized by significant (p less than 0.001) increases in stroke work index (SWI) (+52%), stroke volume index (SVI) (+34%), mean arterial pressure (AP) (+23%), and cardiac index (CI) (+119%) and by a decrease in systemic vascular resistance (SVR) (-45% p less than 0.001). In group II (n = 6) there were no significant changes in SWI (-15%), AP (+11%), and SVR (-17%)(; SVI decreased significantly (-14%, p less than 0.05), and the increase in CI, although significant (+27%, p less than 0.01), did not achieve the level of Group I. EF did not change with exercise in either group. There were no significant differences at rest in any of the above variables, and the pulmonary capillary wedge pressures at maximal exercise were similar. We conclude that there are two patterns of exercise response in patients with severe congestive heart failure (CHF) and that these patterns may have important therapeutic and prognostic implications.

Adult↗

Correlation between various parameters derived from body surface maps and ejection fraction in patients with anterior myocardial infarction.

To determine the best map parameter to predict cardiac function, various map parameters were correlated with the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) in patients with a previous (between 3 months and 1 year) anterior myocardial infarction, but without overt congestive heart failure or ventricular dyssynergy. From 300 consecutive patients with a previous myocardial infarction, 82 patients with only an anterior infarction and who underwent cardiac catheterization and body surface mapping were selected for this study. The maps from 100 healthy subjects were used as normal controls. Body surface maps using 87 unipolar electrodes were recorded and various parameters were derived from the Q map, the QRS departure maps, the QRS isointegral (IQRS) map, and the QRST isointegral (IQRST) maps. They were compared with the angiographically determined EF. The EF was correlated with nQ (r = -0.72), four parameters derived from the QRS departure map (r ranged from -0.73 to -0.79), two parameters derived from the IQRS map (r = -0.90 and -0.86), and two parameters derived from the IQRST map (r = -0.84 and -0.85). Some parameters derived from body surface maps were found to have a very high correlation with the EF in patients who had a previous anterior myocardial infarction.

Electrocardiography↗

New hybrid count- and geometry-based method for quantification of left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction from ECG-gated SPECT: methodology and validation.

BACKGROUND: We have previously developed a new method for quantitative assessment of left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) from electrocardiography-gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The aims of this study were to present the methodology, to validate the gated SPECT cardiac quantification (GSCQ) method in phantoms and patients, and to determine normal values of LVEF. METHODS AND RESULTS: A simple thresholding technique was used to generate binary images from nongated SPECT images. The K-means cluster classification algorithm was used to separate the LV region from non-LV regions on the binary images. A count- and geometry-based algorithm was applied to define endocardial and epicardial boundaries for calculation of LV volumes and LVEF. Overall correlation between GSCQ-quantified volumes and actual phantom volumes was good ( r = 0.97 and standard error of estimation (SEE) = 9.99 mL for normal phantoms, r = 0.99 and SEE = 6.97 mL for phantoms with defects). In patient studies, LVEF derived by GSCQ from SPECT and from equilibrium radionuclide angiography also showed good correlation ( r = 0.90 and SEE = 6.2%). The lower limit of normal LVEF from 8-frame gated SPECT by use of GSCQ was 45%. Quantification of LVEF by the GSCQ method was highly producible and was not significantly affected by the presence of myocardial perfusion defects or intense gastrointestinal activity. CONCLUSIONS: The GSCQ method provides reliable and consistent assessments of LV volumes and EF. This methodology is less affected by intense gastrointestinal activity than other methods.

Adult↗

Assessment of ejection fraction with Tl-201 gated SPECT in myocardial infarction: Precision in a rest-redistribution study and accuracy versus planar angiography.

BACKGROUND: Viability and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) are essential measures for the assessment of myocardial infarction (MI). These 2 variables may be evaluated simultaneously by means of thallium-201 gated single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT); however, the precision and accuracy of LVEF measurements with this isotope remain controversial, particularly in cases of extended perfusion defects and poor count densities. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fifty patients with a history of MI underwent a 20-minute rest and a 4-hour redistribution Tl-201 gated SPECT viability protocol, immediately followed by a technetium-99m planar equilibrium radionuclide angiography (ERNA). On gated SPECT images, various count statistics were calculated, and perfusion was automatically quantified by means of CardioMatch, which provided both the size and severity of MI defects. Rest and redistribution LVEFs were determined from gated SPECT with Germano's algorithm, whereas LVEFs were calculated from ERNA using the manufacturer's software. Mean LVEF values calculated with rest gated SPECT, redistribution gated SPECT, and planar ERNA were 30% +/- 13%, 30% +/- 13% and 33% +/- 13%, respectively. Significant differences between repeated gated SPECT LVEFs were not shown by means of the paired t test. Correlation coefficients were high between 20-minute and 4-hour scans (r = 0.89) and between gated SPECT and ERNA (r = 0.88 and r = 0.92 at 20 minutes and 4 hours, respectively). Additionally, close agreement between gated SPECT and ERNA was shown by means of the Bland-Altman plot, despite an underestimation of 3 units. Finally, neither the technical conditions (count density, heart rate, lung uptake, etc) nor the perfusion alteration (size, severity, redistribution) appeared to interfere with the precision and accuracy of gated SPECT LVEF measurement. CONCLUSION: Tl-201 gated SPECT is a precise method for assessing LVEF within the same patient at 4-hour intervals, even with a substantial count decay, and it gives accurate results compared with planar ERNA, even in the case of large perfusion defects.

Adult↗

Right ventricular ejection fraction from equilibrium krypton-81m blood pool scans: a noninvasive predictor of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Based on the relation between the impedance to right ventricular ejection and ejection fraction of the right ventricle (RVEF) we tested the hypothesis that radionuclide RVEF correlates inversely with pulmonary artery pressure and allows the noninvasive prediction of pulmonary hypertension. A recently developed improved equilibrium right ventricular blood pool imaging technique using ultrashort-lived krypton-81m and simultaneous right heart catheterization were combined for assessment of right ventricular systolic performance in relation to right ventricular loading in a heterogeneous group of cardiopulmonary disorders. The study group included 9 patients with pulmonary artery hypertension secondary to left ventricular dysfunction, 5 with primary pulmonary hypertension, 5 with corrected tetralogy of Fallot, and 10 normal subjects. Linear regression analysis between radionuclide RVEF and simultaneously recorded hemodynamic measurements of right ventricular loading revealed a significant inverse correlation with mean PA pressure (r = -0.87; P less than 0.001), with total pulmonary resistance index (r = -0.81; P less than 0.001) and with pulmonary vascular resistance index (r = -0.78, P less than 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of a resting RVEF less than 40% to indicate pulmonary hypertension (mean PA pressure greater than 20 mmHg) were 71% and 100%, respectively; positive and negative predictive values were 100% and 80%, respectively. Thus, radionuclide RVEF as a parameter of right ventricular systolic performance is predominantly dependent on right ventricular afterload and has the potential for the noninvasive prediction of pulmonary hypertension in a heterogeneous group of cardiopulmonary disorders.

Humans↗