The challenge of co-existent moderate aortic stenosis and left ventricular systolic impairment

Effect of heart irregularity on left ventricular and arterial peak systolic pressures in aortic stenosis.

Assessment of left ventricular systolic function in aortic stenosis and prognostic implications.

Left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, most commonly assessed with two-dimensional echocardiography, is an important prognostic determinant of many cardiovascular diseases. The decision of implanting specific cardiovascular devices, such as cardiac resynchronization therapy or implantable cardioverter defibrillator, recommending valvular surgery or chemotherapy relies on the LV ejection fract...

Left ventricular hypertrophy in aortic valve stenosis: preventive or promotive of systolic dysfunction and heart failure?

AIMS In aortic stenosis (AS), left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy is considered a compensatory response helping maintain systolic function. Recent research in experimental AS suggests, however, that LV hypertrophy is not necessary to sustain LV contractions but may in fact be maladaptive. The present work aimed to clarify the role of LV hypertrophy in AS-related heart failure (HF) in man. METHO...

Hemodynamic determinants of the peak systolic left ventricular-aortic pressure gradient in children with valvar aortic stenosis.

T he peak systolic pressure gradient (the difference between peak left ventricular [LV] and peak aortic systolic pressures) has been used for many years as a primary measure of severity in children with valvar aortic stenosis (AS).1-3 Reliance on the peak systolic pressure gradient in clinical decision-making was based on the practice of measuring the gradient at catheterization by withdrawing ...

Relation of Left Ventricular Mass to Prognosis in Initially Asymptomatic Mild to Moderate Aortic Valve Stenosis

BACKGROUND The prognostic importance of left ventricular (LV) mass in nonsevere asymptomatic aortic stenosis has not been documented in a large prospective study. METHODS AND RESULTS Cox regression analysis was used to assess the impact of echocardiographic LV mass on rate of major cardiovascular events in 1656 patients (mean age, 67 years; 39.6% women) with mild-to-moderate asymptomatic aort...