Echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function and wall motion at high altitude in normal subjects

To understand the effects of high-altitude hypoxia on cardiac function and the change in cardiac function during high-altitude acclimatization, precise studies were first performed at greater than 5,000 m of altitude in Himalaya by 2-dimensional echocardiography. In addition to examining well-known indexes of cardiac function, the centerline method was used to assess regional wall motion, which has not been examined under conditions of high-altitude hypoxia. The subjects were 11 climbing members (aged 21 to 43 years) of the Kyoto University Medical Research Expedition of Xixabangma (8,027 m) in 1990. Examinations were performed at sea level, at the base camp (5,020 m), and twice at the advanced base camp (5,650 m). Heart rate, left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic volume, cardiac output, mean rate of circumferential fiber shortening, ejection fraction, % fractional shortening, and regional LV wall motion were measured. At high altitude, heart rate increased to 136% of the sea level value, but gradually decreased in the degree of increment at the early and late advanced base camp measurements. LV end-diastolic volume decreased significantly by 70%. At base camp there were significant increases in ejection fraction, mean rate of circumferential fiber shortening, and % fractional shortening, which showed little change during the long-term stay at high altitude. Regional wall motion at high altitude (measured by the center-line method) decreased at the septal wall and increased at the posterolateral wall. These results demonstrate that: (1) LV cardiac performance at high altitude is enhanced significantly in spite of reduced preload. After good acclimatization, cardiac performance remains augmented, but there is a tendency to decrease the degree of augmentation. (2) In regional LV wall motion, septal wall motion is impaired, but LV posterolateral wall motion shows a compensatory increase.