BACKGROUND: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the clinical manifestation of acutely diminished coronary arterial blood supply. The rate of increase of intraventricular pressure during isovolumetric contraction (left ventricular dP/dt) represents the rate of change of pressure during ejection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of the rate of increase of intraventricular pressure during isovolumetric contraction (dP/dt) in assessment of left ventricular function in patients with acute coronary syndrome and its relation to certain clinical and echocardiographic features. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study is a cross sectional study including 50 patients with an established diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. The study was performed in Baghdad Teaching Hospital during the period between 2/2/2013 and 5/3/2014. History was taken from all patients and recoded using a specially prepared questionnaire paper. Left ventricular internal dimensions at end diastole (LVIDd) and end systole (LVIDs) were measured using M-mode echocardiography to asses left ventricular systolic function (ejection fraction). Pulse Doppler tracing of the transmitral flow velocities and tissue Doppler image (TDI) mitral annular velocities were obtained from the apical four-chamber view to assess left ventricular diastolic function. Doppler-derived dP/dt was determined from mitral regurgitation (MR) spectral flow RESULTS: The study included 50 patients (31 males and 19 females, mean age of 65.26 ± 5 years). Low dP/dt values were found in 42 patients (84%). Low dP/dt values were found more in the age group (51-60 yrs) (p value < 0.05). The mean age of patients with low dP/dt (<1000) was (65.62 ± 5yrs) and that of patients with normal dP/dt (≥ 1000) was (63.38 ± 5 yrs) with no significant difference (p value > 0.05). Low dP/dt value was significantly associated with smoking and positive family history and not significantly associated with male sex, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. No significant association was found between low dP/dt value and type of presentation of acute coronary syndrome (p value > 0.05) or ejection fraction (p value > 0.05). It was significantly associated with LV diastolic dysfunction, left atrial size, left atrial pressure, and left ventricular size (p value < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of dP/dt is useful for evaluating left ventricular function in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
Background: Powerlifters and bodybuilders use anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) especially – as many as 55 percent of elite powerlifters admitted using these agents. In contrast to numerous documented toxic and hormonal effects of AAS their impact on the structure and function of the left ventricular (LV) was not yet fully understood.
Background: Normal Left Ventricular systolic function is present in nearly 50% of patients with congestive heart failure, the majority of such patients have systemic hypertension. Recent studies have demonstrated Left Ventricular dyssynchrony among patients with heart failure and normal systolic function. The co-existence between Left Ventricular dyssynchrony and hypertension with normal systolic function (with no clinical evidence of heart failure) is less well understood.
Objective:
To assess the Left Ventricular dyssynchrony among hypertensive patients with normal systolic function by using Tissue doppler imaging.To find out the associations between the LV dyssynchrony and other global
... Show MoreBackground: Mitral regurgitation (MR) is the most commonly encountered valve lesion in modern clinical practice. Severe mitral regurgitation may cause systolic dysfunction. Left ventricular ejection fraction may not be an accurate measurement of LV function in patients with mitral insufficiency. Myocardial performance index (MPI) is a simple non invasive measure of myocardial function. Methods: The study involved 50 patients with valvular mitral regurgitation and 50 healthy subjects as a control group. Transthoracic echocardiography was carried out for all patients and control group. The echocardiographic measurements included left ventricular end diastolic and end systolic dimensions, left atrial diameter, ejection fraction (EF), and myoca
... Show MoreBackground: Assessment of function of the right side of the heart in cases of left ventricular dysfunction has been widely studied but the sensitive and specific echocardiographic parameter to be tested is still a matter of controversy. Right ventricular function is related to left ventricular function by ventricular independence so function of both should be assessed carefully. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of left ventricular systolic dysfunction on right ventricular systolic and diastolic functions and pulmonary pressure using conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Patients and Methods: Sixty patients (39 males and 21 females) with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction
... Show MoreBackground: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a common disease, and a major determinant of morbidity and mortality in all races. The pleiotropic effects of the receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL) such as modulation of cell survival, mineralization and inflammation, make it an interesting candidate mediator in the progression and destabilization of atherosclerotic lesions.Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the role of RANKL in the pathogenesis of ACS.Methods: The levels of RANKL were measured by ELISA method in sera of 60 ACS patients, 31 patients with unstable angina (UA) and 29 patients with myocardial infarction (MI) in comparison with 20 apparently healthy controls.Results: Current data indicate
... Show MoreBackground : Coronary artery disease is theunderlying cause in approximately two thirds of
patients with systolic heart failure ;
Coronary artery angiogriphy may be useful to
define the presence ,
Anatomical characteristics ,and functional
significance of Coronary artery disease in
selected heart failure patients with or without signs
and aymptoms of Coronary artery disease.
Objectives: to verify the clinical usefulness of
coronary angiography (CA) in congestive heart
failure (CHF) patients with no history of ischemic
heart disease and to identify predictive factors for
performing coronary angiography to patients with
congestive heart failure with no obvious ischemia.
Methods :this is a cross-ses
Background: Diabetes mellitus a major factor that has adverse effects on the vascular system and the heart. It causes an increase in cardiac muscle thickness, resulting in decreased compliance and increased peripheral arterial stiffness. This study aims to assess the left ventricular mass (LVM) and left ventricular hemodynamic changes in diabetic patients measured by Doppler echocardiography. Patients and Methods: The study included 50 diabetic patients ranging in age between 25 and 80 years, (mean age: 54.1 ± 15.10, 19 males, 31 females) and 50 healthy subjects, aged 25 to 80 years (mean age: 48.52 ± 14.45, 11 males, 39 females). Doppler echocardiography was used to assess left ventricular function. The measurements included
... Show MoreOur aim was to investigate the changes in the myocardium stiffness index for patients suffering from systemic hypertension, and to assess their left ventricular performance. We studied 263 hypertensive patients and 166 healthy subjects as a control group. By using conventional Doppler echocardiography, the following parameters were measured—Left ventricular end diastolic diameter, left ventricular end systolic diameter, transmitral early velocity, isovolumic relaxation time, and isovolumic contraction time. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) was used in the measurements of the early mitral annular velocity (Ea) and the diastolic stiffness was obtained by calculating the ratio E\Ea\LVIDd. Index myocardial performance (IMP) was calculated
... Show MoreUnstable angina pectoris often leads to acute myocardial infarction. Since uric acid is thought to be risk factor for cardiovascular disease and considered a major antioxidant in human blood .The level of uric acid and lipid peroxidation in the sera of patients with unstable angina and myocardial infarction were measured and compared to the healthy individuals. Twenty-nine patients with unstable angina and twenty-nine patients with myocardial infarction were studied and compared to twenty-five healthy individuals. Uric acid was measured by using Human Kit. Malondialdelyde (MDA) a lipid peroxidation marker, was measured by thiobarbituric acid method .Significant elevation of uric acid and MDA were observed in the sera of pati
... Show MoreBackground: Ejection fraction have been used frequently
for assessment of the left ventricular function, but can be
associated with errors in which myocardial performance
index have been used as another parameter to measure the
left ventricular function.
Objective: selecting another echocardiography parameter
for the assessment of myocardial in function instead of the
ejection fraction.
Methods: 160 patients referred to the echocardiogram unit
from the period december 2007 to august 2008 requesting
assessment of left ventricular function. After clinical
examination, routine blood tests; chest x-ray and
electrocardiographic recording have been completed. All
patients informed to come for this unit af