Utility of Echocardiography in Cardiac Evaluation of COPD Patients and Its Relationship with Severity of Disease

ABSTRACT

COPD is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide as well as in India. It is a multisystem disorder among which cardiac manifestations are common. Echocardiography provides a rapid, non-invasive, portable, and accurate method to evaluate such changes. We wanted to assess the cardiac changes due to COPD by echocardiography, evaluate the correlation between echocardiographic findings and severity of COPD using GOLD guidelines (2011 updates).METHODSThis study was a hospital based cross sectional study conducted in M.L.B. Medical College, Jhansi (U.P.). The study included admitted COPD patients in Internal Medicine Department and T.B. Chest Department. The study was conducted after obtaining permission from the Institutional Ethics Committee and identity of the patients has not been revealed.RESULTSOut of 200 admitted patients, 98 patients had cor pulmonale and were further classified by using GOLD guidelines 2017. Upon comparing FEV1 with mPAP in each group we observed p value of 0.001 which is statistically significant. A positive correlation was also found between duration from onset of the disease and mPAP.CONCLUSIONSBy estimating PAP early in the disease process, even in those patients who are not able to perform lung function test correctly due to other co-morbidities, we can determine the progression of the disease and can achieve a better outcome by planning a more appropriate and intense line of management.