Key result
Chronic heavy alcohol consumption in asymptomatic men was associated with significantly reduced right ventricular longitudinal function, including lower TAPSE (12.2 mm vs 21.5 mm) compared to healthy controls.
Why the study?
Does two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography detect early changes in right ventricular longitudinal function in chronic asymptomatic alcoholic men compared to healthy controls?
Observational (n=122)
No
Does two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography detect early changes in right ventricular longitudinal function in chronic asymptomatic alcoholic men compared to healthy controls?
Absolute Event Rate: 12.2% vs 21.5%
p-value: p=<0.01
Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography is an effective, non-invasive method for detecting early subclinical right ventricular longitudinal dysfunction in asymptomatic chronic alcoholics.
May identify subclinical RV dysfunction in asymptomatic alcoholics; leaves open whether 2DSTE improves risk stratification or outcomes.
BACKGROUND: Heart ventricular dysfunction has been characterized as reduced longitudinal function of the right ventricle (RV), and is associated with chronic alcohol abuse. This study investigated the use of two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) to assess the longitudinal systolic and diastolic RV function of patients with alcoholic myocardial damage. METHODS: We stratified 92 asymptomatic alcoholic men into three groups of increasing alcohol intake, Groups A-C. Thirty age-matched normal adult men served as the control group. Conventional echocardiography and tricuspid annulus peak systolic excursion (TAPSE) parameters were obtained. 2DSTE parameters were recorded from an apical 4-chamber view of the RV free wall. LV peak global longitudinal systolic strain was calculated from segmental averaging of the three apical long-axis views. RESULTS: In Group C, the RV end diastolic diameter (RVEDD) was dramatically higher than that of Groups A, B and the control, while TAPSE was significantly lower in Group C compared with the other experimental groups. In Group B, the longitudinal early diastolic strain rate (SRe) and late diastolic strain rate (SRa) of the RV free wall, and LV longitudinal strain were significantly lower than that of Group A or the control. In Group C, all the 2DSTE parameters were significantly lower than that of the other groups. A significant negative linear correlation was noted between global RV systolic parameters systolic strain peak (S), peak systolic strain rate (SRs) and TAPSE (r1=-0.84, r2=-0.72, respectively, P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Two-dimensional STE provided an effective and non-invasive method to assess the RV longitudinal function of patients with alcoholic myocardial damage. This methodology may be useful for diagnosing, directing treatment, and judging prognosis of alcoholic cardiac damage.
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Meng et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Chronic asymptomatic alcoholism (n=122). Chronic alcohol consumption vs. Healthy age-matched men was evaluated on Tricuspid annulus peak systolic excursion (TAPSE) (p=<0.01). Chronic heavy alcohol consumption in asymptomatic men was associated with significantly reduced right ventricular longitudinal function, including lower TAPSE (12.2 mm vs 21.5 mm) compared to healthy controls.