Comparison Between the Mean dP/dt During Isovolumetric Contraction and Other Echocardiographic Indexes of Ventricular Systolic Function

Echocardiographic assessments of ventricular function derived from estimates of the mean dP/dt during isovolumetric contraction (mean dP/dt(ic)) were compared with those obtained from measurements of the shortening fraction and the stress-velocity index (SVI). Mean dP/dt(ic) correlated well with the shortening fraction, r = 0.74, P < 0.0001. Furthermore, 10 out of 11 patients with mean dP/dt(ic) below 800 had a shortening fraction < 0.28, whereas all patients with a mean dP/dt(ic) > 1000 mmHg/sec had a shortening fraction > 0.28. A good correlation also existed between mean dP/dt(ic) and the SVI, r = 0.73, P < 0.0001. Nine out of 11 patients with a mean dP/dt(ic) < 800 mmHg/sec had an SVI > 2 standard deviations below normal, whereas all patients with mean dP/dt(ic) > 1000 mmHg/sec had normal or increased SVI. The correlation between mean dP/dt(ic) and the SVI was strengthened when mean dP/dt(ic) was adjusted for heart rate and preload. Hence, assessments of ventricular function derived from measurements of mean dP/dt(ic) appear to agree well with those provided by the shortening fraction and SVI. Because the determination of mean dP/dt(ic) is not hampered by unusual anatomy or wall motion (conditions which compromise the validity of the shortening fraction and SVI), mean dP/dt(ic) may be a good index of ventricular function in cases where measurements of the shortening fraction and SVI would be unreliable.