Right Ventricular Function in Surgical Treatment of Left Heart

Aim    The aim of this study was to evaluate right ventricular (RV) function during left chamber surgery.Material and methods    This was a single-site prospective cohort study. The study included 197 patients with valvular pathology of heart left chambers. Mean age of patients was 58 [47; 65] years. Precordial echocardiography was performed preoperatively and within one week after surgery.Results    Decreased parameters of the right ventricular (RV) longitudinal function and global contractile function were observed postoperatively in the majority of patients. More noticeable decreases were observed in parameters of the longitudinal function (p<0.001). Analysis of the changes in RV contractility depending on the underlying pathology revealed the greatest changes in the contractile function in the mitral insufficiency group. In the mitral stenosis group, the greatest difference was observed in the tricuspid annular systolic excursion (TAPSE) (p=0.027). In the groups with aortic defects, all parameters of RV contractile function, except for the fractional area change (FAC), showed statistically significant decreases after correction of the underlying defect (p<0.05).Conclusions    Surgical intervention for left heart valvulopathy can result in a decrease in RV function unrelated with systolic deficit of the left ventricle. Modern technologies allow multi-vector assessment of the RV contractile function. To assess the RV function, it is advisable to use a combination of parameters that reflect both global and longitudinal function.