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Value of polycardiographic investigations as compared with direct methods in evaluation of left ventricular function
Insights
Assessing left ventricular function in ischemic heart disease patients revealed that the severity of coronary artery disease correlates with impaired heart contractility. Direct measurements and polycardiography showed significant changes, with the PEP/ET index being highly sensitive.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Cardiovascular Physiology
Background:
- Ischemic heart disease (IHD) significantly impacts left ventricular function.
- Assessing cardiac contractility is crucial for managing IHD patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate left ventricular functional state and contraction disturbances in IHD patients.
- To correlate functional parameters with the extent of coronary artery atheromatosis.
Main Methods:
- Direct measurement of intraventricular pressure (dP/dt max) and related intervals.
- Polycardiographic assessment including isovolumetric contraction time (ICT), pre-ejection period (PEP), and PEP/ET ratio.
Main Results:
- Left ventricular functional parameters showed changes proportional to the number of affected coronary vessels.
- The PEP/ET index demonstrated high sensitivity to contractility changes.
- Statistically significant correlations were observed between direct and polycardiographic parameters, particularly in patients with three-vessel disease and myocardial infarction.
Conclusions:
- The degree of left ventricular dysfunction in IHD is linked to the extent of coronary atherosclerosis.
- Polycardiographic indices, especially PEP/ET, are valuable non-invasive tools for assessing contractility in IHD.
- Direct pressure measurements and polycardiography provide complementary information on cardiac function in IHD.
Abstract:
In 69 patients with ischemic heart disease the left ventricular functional state, especially contraction disturbances, was assessed by means of direct methods and polycardiographic measurements. The patients were divided into groups depending on the number of vessels affected by atheromatosis. In direct measurements the following values were determined: the rate of rise of intraventricular pressure--dP/dt max., the interval t-dP/dt max, the index (see article). In polycardiographic determinations the isovolumetric contraction time (ICI), the pre-ejection period (PEP) and the coefficient consisting of PEP in the numerator and ejection time (ET) in the denominator (PEP/ET) were calculated. The degree of changes in direct and polycardiographic parameters depended on the number of vessels affected by the atherosclerotic process. The index (see article) was most sensitive to changes in the contractility. The correlation was statistically significant for all parameters compared in the group of patients with lesions in three coronary arteries and myocardial infarction. In the remaining groups the correlations differed and a statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between particular parameters. The correlation was best between direct measurements and ICT and the PEP/ET index.