BACKGROUND Through ventricular interdependence, pulmonary hypertension (PH) induces left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. We hypothesized that pediatric PH patients have LV diastolic dysfunction, related to adverse pulmonary hemodynamics, leftward septal shift, and prolonged right ventricular systole. METHODS AND RESULTS Echocardiography was prospectively performed at 2 institutions in 54 pediat...

The mechanism of elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure during acute global ischemia was evaluated by examiniation of the relative contributions of a decrease in contractility and an alteration of the pressure-volume relationship. The external circumference (mercury-in-silastic gauge) pressure relationship, as an index of the pressure-volume relationship, was studied in beta adren...

The well-established elevation in left ventricular filling pressures during exercise in patients after transplantation may contribute to decreased exercise tolerance. A proposed mechanism for this increase in filling pressures is an abnormal pressure-volume homeostasis of the transplanted heart. Twenty-three patients undergoing routine 1-year evaluations performed supine bicycle exercise during...

This prospective, longitudinal study examined the effects of participation in team-based exercise training on cardiac structure and function. Competitive endurance athletes (EA, n = 40) and strength athletes (SA, n = 24) were studied with echocardiography at baseline and after 90 days of team training. Left ventricular (LV) mass increased by 11% in EA (116 +/- 18 vs. 130 +/- 19 g/m(2); P < 0.00...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary hypertension (PH) occurs frequently and results in functional limitation in advanced COPD. Data regarding the functional consequence of PH in less severe COPD are limited. Whether echocardiographic evidence of right sided heart pathology is associated with functional outcomes in patients with non-severe COPD is unknown. METHODS We evaluated pulmonary function, six minute ...

INTRODUCTION Right ventricular failure remains a major cause of mortality during acute pulmonary embolism. Right ventricular function can be assessed with transesophageal echocardiography. However, due to the complex right ventricular anatomy, only a few echocardiographic parameters are reliable and easily obtainable intraoperatively. Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion is a validated pa...

Abbreviations: A wave late-filling wave; CW continuouswave; dP/dtmax positive maximum first derivative of pressure, corrected for time; Ea arterial elastance; E/A ratio of the early and rapid-filling wave to the late-filling wave; E wave early and rapid-filling wave; LA left atrium atrial; LAP left atrial pressure; LV left ventricle/ventricular; LVEDA left ventricular end-diastolic area; LVEDP ...

BACKGROUND Hypertension is an important cardiovascular risk factor worldwide. It is associated with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Both diastolic and systolic dysfunction may occur in hypertensive heart disease. The ventricles are structurally and functionally interdependent on each other. This was an echocardiographic study intended to describe the impact of left ventricular pressure over...

BACKGROUND In chronic obstructive lung disease, a right to left ventricular septal shift that occurs as a consequence of right ventricular pressure overload is the usual mechanism given to explain a decrease in left ventricular (LV) diastolic performance. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent to which this mechanism could account for a decrease in LV diastolic function in a...