Transoesophageal echocardiographic evaluation of ventricular function during transvenous defibrillator implantation

Intraoperative testing and defibrillation threshold determination may jeopardise patients, scheduled for implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). The purpose of this study was the assessment of the influence of consecutive defibrillation attempts on left ventricular systolic and diastolic function by means of transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE).

Eighteen patients with malignant ventricular arrhythmias that were resistant to antiarrhythmic drugs were monitored with TEE before, during and after implantation of a cardioverter-defibrillator. Left ventricular fractional area contraction as a measure of ejection fraction was assessed before and after each defibrillation attempt. Transmitral and right upper pulmonary venous flow parameters were evaluated before and after the whole implantation procedure.

Adequate data were available in 14 patients during 4 consecutive attempts. No major alterations were observed in heart rate or fractional area contraction, measured at 30 s and 3 min after defibrillation. Overall, the ratio of early-to-late transmitral filling decreased significantly after the implantation procedure (from 0.91 +/- 0.12 to 0.82 +/- 0.14; P < 0.05). Systolic pulmonary venous flow velocity decreased from 0.49 +/- 0.11 to 0.41 +/- 0.10 m/s (P = 0.04); this decrease was observed in both groups. A significant increase of the atrial contraction wave (from 0.25 +/- 0.06 to 0.34 +/- 0.07 m/s; P < 0.03) was seen. Subdividing patients related to their precperative ejection fraction, a significant decrease of the early-to-late transmitral filling of the LV was revealed in patients with ejection fraction less than 35% (group 1). Also, a significantly lower systolic fraction of the pulmonary venous flow after ICD implantation in conjunction with a significantly longer diastolic flow time was shown in this patient group in comparison with patients with a preoperative ejection fraction of more than 35% (group 2).

Defibrillation threshold testing of the ICD system changes LV inflow characteristics and impedes diastolic function of the left ventricle and may thus precipitate heart failure by this mechanism. No deleterious effects of threshold testing were observed with respect to fractional area contraction nor any deterioration of LV function was found in a clinically significant amount due to consecutive defibrillation attempts.