Key result
AF requires ~3 times more beats than SR to reliably estimate cardiac output.
Why the study?
The optimum number of Doppler velocity waveforms required to accurately calculate cardiac output in atrial fibrillation compared to sinus rhythm was unknown.
Does the number of Doppler velocity waveforms required to accurately calculate cardiac output differ between patients in atrial fibrillation and those in sinus rhythm?
Comparison
Cardiac output calculation in atrial fibrillation vs sinus rhythm
Design
Observational study
Authors
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Averaging ~13 beats may limit CO variability to <2% in AF; leaves open whether this protocol improves routine echocardiographic accuracy.
Observational (n=33)
Does the number of Doppler velocity waveforms required to accurately calculate cardiac output differ between patients in atrial fibrillation and those in sinus rhythm?
Absolute Event Rate: 13% vs 4%
Accurate Doppler measurement of cardiac output in atrial fibrillation requires averaging approximately 13 beats, which is three times the number needed in sinus rhythm.
Dubrey et al. (1997) conducted an observational in Atrial fibrillation (n=33). Atrial fibrillation vs. Sinus rhythm was evaluated on Number of beats required to achieve an estimation of cardiac output with a variability of less than 2%. Atrial fibrillation required a mean of 13 beats to estimate cardiac output with <2% variability, compared with a mean of 4 beats in sinus rhythm.
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