background: assessment of myocardial function is essential in heart disease, but in regard to systolic and diastolic functions such evaluation has limitation. ejection fraction is difficult to assess in abnormally-shaped ventricles, and diastolic inflow velocity pattern may be fused because of tachycardia.   objective: a myocardial performance index (mpi) or tei index has been developed for adu...

STUDY OBJECTIVES This study sought to evaluate the pathophysiology of left and right heart failure in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) who were hospitalized to undergo pulmonary thromboendarterectomy (PTE). DESIGN Thirty-nine patients (16 women and 23 men; mean +/- SD age, 55+/-12 years) with severe CTEPH were examined before and 13+/-8 days after PTE by way...

Experimental cardiac tamponade was produced in open-chest dogs. Left and right ventricular systolic pressures fell when intrapericardial pressure was increased only a few millimeters of mercury. Negative diastolie transmural pressures of 1 to 6 mm. Hg developed in the left ventricle and negative diastolie transmural pressures of 2 to 8.5 mm. Hg developed in the right ventricle. In some instance...

To clarify the basis of increased left ventricular (LV) end-diastolic pressure associated with isometric exercise, LV diastolic and systolic function were examined in 25 patients during sustained handgrip. During handgrip, average systemic arterial mean pressure increased by 20 mm Hg, and LV systolic pressure rose by 31 mm Hg, though in five patients, no increase in mean arterial or LV systolic...

BACKGROUND Recently, a successful result with a rapid two-stage arterial switch operation (ASO) was reported for patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with low left ventricular pressure. In this procedure, the interval between pulmonary arterial banding and ASO was approximately 1 week. This successful result indicates the possibility of a nonsurgical ventricular preparation p...

Doppler-derived myocardial performance index (MPI) , defined as the s um of isovolumetric contraction and relaxation durations divided by ejection time, is an easily measured and reproducible index that shows both systolic and diastolic myocardial function. The goal of this study was to define normal values of right ventricular MPI in neonates in the first 48 to 72 hours of life. Fifty-one...

were applied to the patients with pulmonic stenosis. These provided a measure of the magnitude of atrial movements and relative amplitude and duration of movements associated with ventricular systole. Twenty-two patients had abnormal ventricular systolic movements by these criteria. These increased systolic movements are attributed to right ventricular overload. However, the location of these m...

BACKGROUND Significant myxomatous mitral regurgitation leads to progressive left ventricular (LV) decline, resulting in congestive heart failure and death. Such patients benefit from mitral valve surgery. Exercise echocardiography aids in risk stratification and helps decide surgical timing. We sought to assess predictors of outcomes in such patients undergoing exercise echocardiography. METH...

This study sought to investigate whether the presence of right ventricular systolic dysfunction with pre-existing left ventricular systolic dysfunction is associated with higher plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels, compared with patients with isolated left ventricular dysfunction. Eighty-five patients referred for evaluation of isotopic ventricular function were prospectively included...

INTRODUCTION The aim of the present study was to evaluate the haemodynamic effects of passive leg elevation on the right ventricular function in two groups of patients, one with a normal right ventricular ejection fraction (RVEF) and one with a reduced RVEF. METHODS Twenty coronary patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting surgery were studied by a RVEF pulmonary artery cat...