Decect of left ventricular dysfunction in patients with heart failure with normal ejection fraction with tissue Doppler echocardiographic

Objective To determine whether patients with suspected heart failure but preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) had systolic and diastolic dysfunction in left ventricular long axis detected by tissue Doppler echocardiographic indexes. Methods The data of 100 patients with heart failure who admitted to our hospital between August 2007 and October 2009 were collected. Heart failure with preserved LVEF was diagnosed in 50 patients and heart failure with reduced LVEF was diagnosed in another 50 patients. Fifty age-matched healthy subjects served as the control group.Tissue Doppler imaging indexes (Sm, Ea, Aa, E/Ea) and plasma BNP concentration were compared among the three groups. Results The degree of Sm decrease was more significant in heart failure patients with reduced LVEF than those with preserved LVEF. In the two subjects, the index Sm was negatively correlated with the BNP concentration (r=-0.35, P<0.05).The indexes E/Ea was positively correlated with the BNP concentration (r=0.728, P<0.05). Conclusions The LV filling index E/Ea is identified as the best index to detect diastolic dysfunction in heart failure but preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Key words: Heart failure;  Ventricular function;  Echocardiography