Impact of early changes in left ventricular filling pattern on long-term outcome after acute myocardial infarction

In patients with heart failure due to chronic ischemic heart disease improvement of diastolic function indicates improved survival and a reduced morbidity, but whether this is also the case after acute myocardial infarction is not known.

To assess the prognostic importance of changes in left ventricular filling pattern, assessed with mitral deceleration time and colour M-mode flow propagation velocity, on cardiac death and readmission due to heart failure serial Doppler echocardiography was carried out in 103 patients with a first myocardial infarction. Based on echocardiography on hospital admission and after 1 month, patients were divided into three groups: group A (n=29) comprised patients with normal filling at either examination, group B (n=29) comprised patients with improvement of initially abnormal filling, and group C (n=45) patients with deterioration or no change of an abnormal filling pattern.

One-year survival free of cardiac death or hospitalisation for heart failure was 97% in group A, 86% in group B and 64% in group C (P<0.0001). In Cox analysis persistence of abnormal filling or deterioration of left ventricular filling was still a predictor of the combined endpoint (risk ratio 4.4, 95% CI 1.8-12.0, P=0.003) after adjustment of LV filling on admission, left ventricular systolic function and clinical variables. Serial analyses of left ventricular systolic function demonstrated a significant improvement after 1 year in ejection fraction in groups A and B, whereas ejection fraction remained unchanged in group C.

Patients with a persistently abnormal or a deterioration of left ventricular filling pattern as opposed to improved or normal filling are at increased risk of cardiac death and readmission due to heart failure after acute myocardial infarction.