Left Ventricular Systolic Function in a Population Sample of Elderly Men.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Echocardiography
• Geriatric Medicine

Background:

• Assessing left ventricular (LV) systolic function is crucial in elderly populations.
• Traditional echocardiographic indices may have limitations in specific patient groups.
• Hypertension and coronary heart disease (CHD) are common comorbidities in older men.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility and discriminatory power of various echocardiographic indices of LV systolic function.
• To assess these indices in a healthy screening sample of 70-year-old men.
• To identify reliable markers for LV systolic dysfunction in elderly men with hypertension or CHD.

Main Methods:

• Evaluated 584 healthy 70-year-old men using echocardiography.
• Measured ejection fraction (EF), fractional shortening (FS), stroke index (SI), LV end-systolic diameter (LVESD), cardiac index (CI), LV wall motion score, and atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD).
• Compared indices between healthy subjects and those with hypertension or CHD.

Main Results:

• Hypertension and CHD were associated with impaired EF, FS, LVESD, AVPD, and LV wall motion score compared to healthy controls.
• Stroke index (SI) and cardiac index (CI) did not differ significantly between groups.
• LV wall motion score showed the best discrimination; SI was overestimated by the Teichholz formula in subjects with LV dilatation.

Conclusions:

• Elderly men with hypertension or CHD exhibit impaired LV systolic function.
• Atrioventricular plane displacement (AVPD) is applicable, and a novel two-dimensional index (AVPD + 5/LVESD) is proposed for enhanced LV systolic function assessment.
• Stroke index (SI) measurement requires careful consideration of formula and LV dimensions in this population.