Measurement of global ventricular function in patients during cardiac operations using sonomicrometry

In these studies, we evaluated the applicability of pulse-transit sonomicrometry for measuring changes in global cardiac activity in patients during cardiac operative procedures. In six patients two epicardial ultrasonic crystals (8 mm) were sutured across the left ventricular minor axis. Diastolic pressure-length data were recorded as left ventricles were filled passively to transmural pressures (P) from 0 to 20 mm Hg. Data were collected at the beginning of cardiopulmonary bypass and again 15 minutes following periods of induced global ischemia (29.8 +/- 0.8 minutes). Minor axis length data were normalized to Lagrangian strain (epsilon), and best-fit regression curves were obtained from P-epsilon by computer analysis. Nonlinear elastic constants, alpha and beta, were mathematically derived as additional curve descriptors. Decreases in ventricular compliance were demonstrated as leftward shifts in both computed and measured P-epsilon curves. Global ischemia appeared to effect a decrease in overall ventricular diastolic compliance in all patients studied (p =7E 0.01 at 5, 10, 15, 20 mm Hg). Simultaneously, no statistical change occurred in lo (62.93 +/- 2.80 mm), which represented end-diastolic length (EDL) at 0 mm Hg transmural pressure. Following coronary grafting several patients showed augmented systolic excursion when compared at similar EDL. For those analyses, shortening was compared at specific minor axis EDLs rather than filling pressures. These data indicate that experimentally developed sonomicrometry may safely provide accurate indices of systolic and diastolic ventricular properties during operations necessitating cardiopulmonary bypass. Thus various cardioplegic solutions, ischemic arrest periods, and inotropic agents may be evaluated more objectively.