Physiologic changes in the circulatory system caused by performing the Valsalva maneuver are blunted or absent in patients with congestive heart failure. Previously there has been no noninvasive method for examining cardiac chamber size during this maneuver. M-mode echocardiography was used to evaluate possible changes in cardiac chamber dimensions in 12 normal subjects (group I) and 15 patient...

Physiologic changes in the circulatory system caused by performing the Valsalva maneuver are blunted or absent in patients with congestive heart failure. Previously there has been no noninvasive method for examining cardiac chamber size during this maneuver. M-mode echocardiography was used to evaluate possible changes in cardiac chamber dimensions in 12 normal subjects (group I) and 15 patient...

A recent echocardiographic study of symptomatic patients who had aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic regurgitation indicated that patients in whom preoperative left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVD[SYS]) exceeded 55 mm or fractional shortening (%FS) was less than 25% were at high risk of developing congestive heart failure and dying after an otherwise successful operation. Becau...

To determine whether patients with hypertension and especially those with left ventricular hypertrophy have subtle changes in cardiac function, we measured the increase in left ventricular ejection fraction and in systolic blood pressure to end-systolic volume index ratio with exercise in 40 hypertensive patients and 16 age-matched normotensive volunteers. Twenty-two hypertensive patients witho...

BACKGROUND Growth hormone (GH) treatment may improve morphological and functional cardiac parameters in adults with GH deficiency (GHD). However, clinical trials reported to date involved few patients and yielded variable effects. METHODS AND RESULTS We systematically reviewed blinded, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trials of GH treatment in adults with GHD and open studies in patien...

A recent echocardiographic study of symptomatic patients who had aortic valve replacement for isolated aortic regurgitation indicated that patients in whom preoperative left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVD[SYS]) exceeded 55 mm or fractional shortening (%FS) was less than 25% were at high risk of developing congestive heart failure and dying after an otherwise successful operation. Becau...

Background:Cardiac rehabilitation program (CRP) is a useful method of modifying cardiovascular risk factors, improving life expectancy and quality of life in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of cardiac rehabilitation on the pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LV...

BACKGROUND Echocardiographic reference ranges are important to identify abnormalities of cardiac dimensions. Reference ranges for children in sub-Saharan Africa have not been established. The aim of this study was to establish echocardiographic z-score references for Black children in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS 282 healthy subjects aged 6-16years (143 [51%] males) with no known history of ca...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Higher left ventricular volume is associated with death in patients with ESRD. This work investigated the effects of frequent hemodialysis on ventricular volumes and left ventricular remodeling. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS The Frequent Hemodialysis Network daily trial randomized 245 patients to 12 months of six times per week versus three times per ...

Systemic vascular resistance (SVR) is a frequently used clinical index of left ventricular afterload. However, SVR may not adequately assess left ventricular afterload (i.e., ventricular internal fiber load during systole) since it reflects only peripheral vasomotor tone. In contrast, left ventricular end-systolic wall stress (sigma es) reflects the combined effects of peripheral loading condit...