Assessment of left ventricular function in chronic severe anaemia. An echocardiographic study.

ABSTRACT

Left ventricle (LV) performance was assessed by echocardiography (2-D and M-mode) in 30 patients with chronic severe anaemia and an equal number of age and sex matched healthy controls. Patients with anaemia were divided into two groups those with tachycardia (pulse rate more than 100 per min) and those without. LV performance indices computed were LV ejection fraction (LVEF), % fractional shortening (FS), cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume index (SVI). In patients of anaemia with tachycardia, LVEF was 48.6 +/- 8.41 (mean +/- SEM) vs 71.6 +/- 4.96 among controls. Percentage FS was 19.93 +/- 4.21 vs 36.0 +/- 4.5, CI 5.46 +/- 1.2 vs 3.1 +/- 0.78 l/min/m2, and stroke index 48.6 +/- 12.2 vs 41.5 +/- 10.7 ml/beat/m2. In patients without tachycardia, LVEF was 55.1 +/- 8.86, percentage FS 23.6 +/- 5.42, CI 2.87 +/- 0.526 and stroke index 41.34 +/- 12.1. These findings suggest that LV performance was depressed in both groups of patients with anaemia but LV function was better in patients without tachycardia.