Effect of Food Intake on Vortex Formation Time as a Measurement of Diastolic Left Ventricular Function

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Medical Imaging
• Physiology

Background:

• Left ventricular (LV) diastolic function is crucial for cardiac health.
• Vortex formation time (VFT) is an emerging parameter to assess LV diastolic function.
• The impact of physiological changes like food intake on VFT, particularly concerning age and sex, requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effect of food intake on VFT in healthy individuals.
• To determine the relationship between VFT, age, and sex.
• To assess if VFT is a reliable indicator of diastolic function postprandially.

Main Methods:

• Healthy participants were stratified into younger (median age 25) and older (median age 68) groups.
• Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) was performed in a fasting state and 30 minutes after a standardized meal.
• Off-line analysis of TTE images was conducted to calculate VFT.

Main Results:

• VFT did not differ between sexes across age groups.
• A significant increase in VFT was observed in older adults post-meal (median 2.0 to 2.3, p < 0.001), but not in younger adults (median 2.5, p = 0.369).
• Before meals, VFT was higher in younger adults (median 2.5) than older adults (median 2.0, p = 0.011); this difference diminished after meals.

Conclusions:

• VFT is influenced by age, with younger individuals exhibiting higher VFT.
• Food intake significantly affects VFT in elderly individuals, suggesting age-related alterations in diastolic function response.
• VFT is not influenced by sex in the assessed healthy population.