The Reduction in Right Ventricular Longitudinal Contraction Parameters Is Not Accompanied by a Reduction in General...

The aim of the present study was to identify whether the decrease of longitudinal parameters after cardiothoracic surgery (ie, tricuspid annular systolic plane excursion [TAPSE] and systolic excursion velocity [S']) is accompanied by a reduction in global right ventricular (RV) performance.

Prospective, observational study.

Single-center explorative study in a tertiary teaching hospital.

The study comprised 20 patients who underwent aortic valve replacement with or without coronary artery bypass grafting.

During cardiac surgery, simultaneous measurements of RV function were performed with a pulmonary artery catheter and transesophageal echocardiography.

TAPSE and S' were reduced significantly directly after surgery compared with the time before surgery (TAPSE from 20.8 [16.6-23.4] mm to 9.1 [5.6-15.5] mm; p < 0.001 and S' from 8.7 [7.9-10.7] cm/s to 7.2 [5.7-8.6] cm/s; p = 0.041). However, the reduction in TAPSE and S' was not accompanied by a reduction in RV performance, as assessed with the TEE-derived myocardial performance index (MPI) and pulmonary artery catheter-derived RV ejection fraction (RVEF). Both remained statistically unaltered before and after the procedure (MPI from 0.52 [0.43-0.58] to 0.50 [0.42-0.88]; p = 0.278 and RVEF from 27% [22%-32%] to 26% [22%-28%]; p = 0.294).

In the direct postoperative phase, the reduction of echocardiographic parameters of longitudinal RV contractility (TAPSE and S') were not accompanied by a reduction in global RV performance, expressed as MPI and RVEF. Solely relying on a single RV parameter as a marker for global RV performance may not be adequate to assess the complex adaptation of the right ventricle to aortic valve replacement.