Assessment of atrial electromechanical delay using tissue Doppler echocardiography in children with asthma

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Electrophysiology

Background:

• Asthma can be linked to right ventricular dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, and atrial enlargement.
• These conditions may negatively impact the right atrium's electrical properties.
• Investigating atrial electromechanical delay and P-wave dispersion is crucial for understanding asthma's cardiac effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess atrial electromechanical delay and P-wave dispersion in children with asthma.
• To compare these electrophysiological parameters between asthmatic children and a healthy control group.
• To explore correlations between atrial conduction times and right ventricular function in asthmatic patients.

Main Methods:

• The study included 34 children with asthma (aged 8-16) and 34 matched controls.
• Measurements included RV tissue Doppler, intra-right atrial conduction time (IRCT-echo), intra-left atrial conduction time (ILCT-echo), inter-atrial conduction time (IACT-echo), and P-wave dispersion (PWD).

Main Results:

• Patients with asthma exhibited significantly higher IRCT-echo and IACT-echo compared to controls (p < 0.001 for both).
• No significant differences were found in PWD, maximum P-wave duration, minimum P-wave duration, or ILCT-echo between the groups.
• IRCT-echo positively correlated with isovolumetric relaxation time and myocardial performance index of the lateral tricuspid annulus in asthmatic patients.

Conclusions:

• Children with asthma demonstrate impaired right atrial electrophysiological properties, evidenced by prolonged IRCT-echo and IACT-echo.
• These findings suggest a potential substrate for atrial arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation, in asthma patients.
• Further research is warranted to elucidate the long-term implications of these electrophysiological changes.