[Initial systolic ejection rate as a parameter of ventricular function in valvular heart disease (author's transl)]

In patients with valvular heart disease the initial systolic ejection rate was determined in an attempt to characterize ventricular function in pressure and volume overload. By means of left ventricular cineangiography, the volume change during the initial third of the ejection phase was determined and the mean ejection rate of this period was calculated. A total of 40 patients were examined, 7 patients without heart disease, 15 patients with pure aortic regurgitation, 9 patient with pure aortic stenosis and 9 patients with pure mitral regurgitation. In patients with pure aortic regurgitation and high-normal values for ejection fraction and mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening (mVcf) a significant increase in initial systolic ejection rate when compared to the group of normals was observed. The distribution of the stroke volume for each third of the ejection phase corresponded to the normal pattern. In contrast, in patients with low-normal values for ejection fraction and mVcf, a decrease in the initial systolic ejection rate below the normal value was observed, along with a pathological distribution of the stroke volume during the ejection phase. This finding was also noted in all patients with pure mitral regurgitation and pure aortic stenosis. In aortic stenosis, the decline in initial systolic ejection rate was regarded as a consequence of the outflow tract obstruction, whereas in volume overload, this was regarded as a sign of a decline in ventricular function which is not recognized with global parameters such as ejection fraction and mVcf.