Early Doppler echocardiographic dysfunction is associated with an increased mortality after orthotopic cardiac transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Doppler echocardiographic (DE) diastolic dysfunction has been correlated with rejection after orthotopic cardiac transplantation (Tx). However, the relationship of early diastolic dysfunction to late outcome is unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between early DE diastolic dysfunction and outcome after heart Tx. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 133 patients undergoing heart Tx between October 1990 and April 1994, 83 were identified with > or = 4 routine DE performed during the first 6 months. Assessment of diastolic function included measurement of isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT), pressure half-time (PHT), and peak early mitral inflow velocity (M1). Diastolic dysfunction was defined as a decrease of 15% from baseline (IVRT and PHT) or an increase of 20% (M1). A mean dysfunction score (MDS) was calculated for each patient (number of episodes of dysfunction by Doppler total number of echocardiograms performed). The population diastole MDS was determined and two groups established (group 1, MDS < mean; group 2, MDS > mean). Actuarial survival, rejection, and transplant coronary artery disease (TxCAD) were compared between groups. Actuarial survival was significantly reduced in patients with greater early diastolic dysfunction (P < .05). There were 17 deaths overall: 5 in group 1 (mean, 786 days) and 12 in group 2 (mean, 384 days). There were no significant differences in treated rejection episodes, actuarial freedom from rejection or TxCAD, immunosuppression, sex, donor age, donor ischemic time, or cytomegalovirus between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Diastolic dysfunction within 6 months of transplant was associated with an increased late mortality.

Progression of aortic stenosis in adult men. Detection by noninvasive methods.

One hundred seventy-one patients with aortic stenosis (AS) who had hemodynamic studies were evaluated by a scoring system of the seven following noninvasive variables which our laboratory had developed to estimate the severity of AS: left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) by ECG; visible aortic valve calcification by chest x-ray examination; loudness of A2; Q to peak of systolic murmur; T-time of the carotid pulse; LV ejection time; and LVH by M-mode echocardiography. The range of the severity score is 0 to 16, and a score greater than or equal to 5 has been shown correctly to identify 93 percent of patients with severe AS (valve area less than or equal to 1.0 cm2). The present study has applied this method to the detection of progression of AS. Eleven patients (mean age, 60.4 years) were studied who had hemodynamic studies performed two to nine years apart (mean, three years). Progression of stenosis occurred in all, with an increase in mean aortic valve gradient from 23 +/- 4.7 mm Hg to 46 +/- 6.5 mm Hg (p less than 0.005). Aortic valve area decreased from 1.5 +/- 0.18 cm2 to 0.88 +/- 0.10 cm2 (p less than 0.005). Noninvasive scores increased in these patients from 0.7 +/- 0.5 to 7.1 +/- 2.3 (p less than 0.005). Thirty-five patients (mean age, 62.4 years) had repeat noninvasive studies one to six years apart (mean 3 years). Twenty-two (63 percent) had an increase in the noninvasive score of greater than or equal to 3 points, and 20 (57 percent) attained a score of greater than or equal to 5, indicating probable severe AS. The mean initial severity score was 2.2 +/- 0.3, and at the end of a mean follow-up of three years, the score was 8.3 +/- 0.6 (p less than 0.005). It is concluded that in the elderly male, progression of AS over a three-year period occurs in about 60 percent of patients, and progression can be detected by simple, noninvasive methods.