Key result
Apexcardiography systolic wave morphology is subject to significant variability depending on patient and transducer position, whereas diastolic events like A wave height are more reproducible.
The authors caution against overinterpreting systolic wave morphology in apexcardiography due to its high variability.
if workers become overzealous in the amount of information they attempt to derive, particularly from systolic wave morphology.Our experience3 agrees with that of others4-7 in the finding that systolic events are subject to many variables, especially those relating to patient position and transducer position in relationship to the apex.A simple example of such variability is seen when a 5 cm bell is coupled to the Siemen's transducer and held firmly against the precordium without air leaks.By varying the position of the pickup, considerable alterations of the systolic wave configuration are produced.Diastolic events, while subject to some variation, are more reproducible, and measurements of A wave height appear to be remarkably similar among many laboratories, including our own.This is the reason for our willingness to report our A wave findings in aortic stenosis.Barring a remarkable change of heart, we would not be willing to analyze systematically systolic wave morphology, for fear of giving not only apexcardiography, but ourselves, a "bad name."
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Davidson et al. (1975) conducted a letter in Aortic stenosis. Apexcardiography was evaluated. Apexcardiography systolic wave morphology is subject to significant variability depending on patient and transducer position, whereas diastolic events like A wave height are more reproducible.
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