Right ventricular free wall strain decreased significantly across normal, compensated pulmonary hypertension, and decompensated pulmonary hypertension groups (-26%, -19%, and -14%; P<.0001).
Observational (n=56)
Does right ventricular free wall strain measured by tissue Doppler imaging decrease prior to hemodynamic decompensation in patients with pulmonary hypertension?
Tissue Doppler imaging reveals that RV free wall strain decreases in pulmonary hypertension prior to hemodynamic decompensation, serving as a potential early marker for RV failure.
p-value: p=<.0001
Right ventricular (RV) function is closely linked to outcomes in pulmonary hypertension (PH). The authors sought to evaluate RV myocardial strain in 3 groups of patients: normal, PH with compensated RV function (PH-C), and PH with decompensated RV function (PH-D). Fifty-six patients (aged 56+/-12 years; 40 women; mean pulmonary artery pressure MPAP range, 13-82 mm Hg) underwent right heart catheterization and 2-dimensional echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging of the RV. Right atrial pressures were 6+/-3, 5+/-2, and 14+/-4 mm Hg; MPAP values were 19+/-3, 44+/-15, and 56+/-13 mm Hg; pulmonary vascular resistances were 1.4+/-0.4, 7.9+/-5.1, and 11.5+/-6.6 Wood units; and cardiac indices were 3.4+/-0.9, 2.8+/-0.8, and 2.2+/-0.7 L/min/m(2) (P<.05 for all for normal, PH-C, and PH-D patients), respectively. RV free wall strain decreased significantly among all 3 groups (-26%+/-6%, -19%+/-7%, and -14%+/-5%; P<.0001). RV free wall strain decreases in PH without hemodynamically decompensated RV function suggesting it may be a preceding step in the development of RV failure. This may be of particular use in following patients sequentially.
Simon et al. (Thu,) conducted a observational in Pulmonary hypertension (n=56). Tissue Doppler imaging of the right ventricle vs. Normal vs compensated PH vs decompensated PH was evaluated on Right ventricular free wall strain (p=<.0001). Right ventricular free wall strain decreased significantly across normal, compensated pulmonary hypertension, and decompensated pulmonary hypertension groups (-26%, -19%, and -14%; P<.0001).