Assessment Of Cardiac Function Research Articles

Predictive value of Doppler echocardiography parameters for cardiovascular events in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

This study aimed to assess the utility of Doppler echocardiography in evaluating left ventricular diastolic function, and prognosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A total of 286 SLE patients were selected along with 100 age- and gender-matched healthy individuals who underwent physical examinations. Clinical baseline characteristics were collected. Various Doppler echocardiographic parameters were measured and analyzed, including left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPWT), interventricular septal diameter (IVSD), left ventricular mass (LVM), LVM index (LVMI), and others. Compared to the control group, SLE patients exhibited significantly higher levels of C-reactive protein and lower levels of complement (C) 3 and C4 (p < .001). Doppler echocardiographic parameters showed significant differences between SLE patients and healthy controls, including increased LVPWT, IVSD, LVM, LVMI, peak A, PWI + Tei, E/e', TDI-Tei, and decreased e' and E/A (p < .001). Subgroup analyses indicated more severe ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with higher SLE activity and those who experienced cardiovascular events. Correlation analysis revealed positive associations of PWI + Tei, TDI-Tei, and GLS with SLE activity and cardiovascular events (p < .01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified LVMI, PWI + Tei, TDI-Tei, and GLS as significant predictors of cardiovascular events (p < .05). Doppler echocardiography is a valuable tool for the early diagnosis of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in SLE patients. Key echocardiographic parameters, including LVMI, PWI + Tei, TDI-Tei, and GLS, are effective in predicting cardiovascular events, underscoring the importance of comprehensive cardiac function assessments in these patients.

Enhancing left ventricular segmentation in echocardiography with a modified mixed attention mechanism in SegFormer architecture

Echocardiography is a key tool for the diagnosis of cardiac diseases, and accurate left ventricular (LV) segmentation in echocardiographic videos is crucial for the assessment of cardiac function. However, since semantic segmentation of video needs to take into account the temporal correlation between frames, this makes the task very challenging. This article introduces an innovative method that incorporates a modified mixed attention mechanism into the SegFormer architecture, enabling it to effectively grasp the temporal correlation present in video data. The proposed method processes each time series by encoding the image input into the encoder to obtain the current time feature map. This map, along with the historical time feature map, is then fed into a time-sensitive mixed attention mechanism type of convolution block attention module (TCBAM). Its output can serve as the historical time feature map for the subsequent sequence, and a combination of the current time feature map and historical time feature map for the current sequence. The processed feature map is then input into the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) and subsequent networks to generate the final segmented image. Through extensive experiments conducted on two different datasets: Hamad Medical Corporation, Tampere University, and Qatar University (HMC-QU), Cardiac Acquisitions for Multi-structure Ultrasound Segmentation (CAMUS) and Sunnybrook Cardiac Data (SCD), achieving a Dice coefficient of 97.92 % on the SCD dataset and an F1 score of 0.9263 on the CAMUS dataset, outperforming all other models. This research provides a promising solution to the temporal modeling challenge in video semantic segmentation tasks using transformer-based models and points out a promising direction for future research in this field.

Myocardial work alterations with progressive left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with hypertension.

Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (LVH) is frequently observed in patients with hypertension (HTN). LV myocardial work (MW) has recently emerged as a non-invasive method to assess systolic myocardial deformation relative to afterload conditions. The authors investigated the characteristics of myocardial work with different degrees of LVH in HTN patients. From December 2020 to February 2024, 255 HTN patients and 26 healthy controls undergoing transthoracic echocardiography were included in the current study. Hypertension patients were divided into quintile groups based on left ventricular mass index (LVMI), for the first to fourth LVMI quantiles, global work index (GWI) and global constructive work (GCW) were higher compared to the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant. In the sixth LVMI quantile, GWI and GCW showed a significant decrease. The restricted cubic splines showed that both GWI and GCW exhibited an inverted U-shaped relationship with LVMI. A LVMI of >151.39g/m2 could accurately predict reduction both in GWI and GCW (Sensitivity: 0.78, Specificity: 0.89, AUC: 0.90, P <.001; Sensitivity: 0.81, Specificity: 0.92, AUC: 0.92, P <.001, respectively). As LVH progressed in HTN patients, both GWI and GCW initially demonstrated an increase, followed by a subsequent decrease. Myocardial work provides additional insights into assessment of cardiac function in HTN patients.

MRI Assessment of Diastolic Dysfunction in People Living With the Human Immunodeficiency Virus: Correlation With Markers of Disease Activity.

Despite the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy, people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH) are at an increased risk for cardiac disease. To explore the presence and extent of diastolic atrial and left ventricular dysfunction in PLWH using cardiac MRI in correlation with clinical markers of disease activity. Prospective. A total of 163 participants comprising 101 HIV-infected individuals (age: 52 years [42-62 years]; 92% male) and 62 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers (age: 51 years [30-72 years]; 85% male). 3.0 T, cardiac MRI including balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) for the short-axis, two-, three-, and four-chamber views were performed. Assessment of cardiac function and strain analysis were accomplished by CVI42 software. Blood samples for CD4+ T cells and cardiac risk factors were also collected before MRI. Independent t tests, Mann-Whitney U test, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multivariate linear analyses (significance level: P < 0.05). PLWH had a significantly larger left atrial volume maximum index (LAVImax: 32.6 ± 8.7 vs. 28.7 ± 8.1 mL/m2), minimum (LAVImin: 14.8 ± 5.5 vs. 11.5 ± 5.4 mL/m2,), and prior to atrial contraction (LAVIpre-a: 23.4 ± 6.7 vs. 19.7 ± 7.2 mL/m2) as compared to healthy volunteers. The LA reservoir (LAtEF: 55.0 ± 10.2 vs. 61.4 ± 10.4; Sls: 29.0 ± 8.1 vs. 33.8 ± 11.8), conduit (LApEF: 28.4 ± 8.2 vs. 32.3 ± 11.3, P = 0.01; Sle: 16.3 ± 6.5 vs. 18.9 ± 8.2), and booster pump function (LAaEF: 37.4 ± 12.4 vs. 42.7 ± 13.1, P = 0.01, Sla: 12.7 ± 5.1 vs. 14.9 ± 5.7) were all significant impaired in PLWH. Global circumferential left ventricular diastolic strain rate (LVGCS-d) was significantly lower in the HIV patients. Multivariate analysis results showed that Nadir CD4+ T cells had a significant adverse association with LVGCS-d (β = 0.51). LA structure abnormalities and LV diastolic dysfunction were manifested in PLWH, with Nadir CD4+ T cell counts potentially serving as a risk factor for early cardiac diastolic dysfunction. 2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 3.

Fine grained automatic left ventricle segmentation via ROI based Tri-Convolutional neural networks.

The left ventricle segmentation (LVS) is crucial to the assessment of cardiac function. Globally, cardiovascular disease accounts for the majority of deaths, posing a significant health threat. In recent years, LVS has gained important attention due to its ability to measure vital parameters such as myocardial mass, end-diastolic volume, and ejection fraction. Medical professionals realize that manually segmenting data to evaluate these processes takes a lot of time, effort when diagnosing heart diseases. Yet, manually segmenting these images is labour-intensive and may reduce diagnostic accuracy. This paper, propose a combination of different deep neural networks for semantic segmentation of the left ventricle based on Tri-Convolutional Networks (Tri-ConvNets) to obtain highly accurate segmentation. CMRI images are initially pre-processed to remove noise artefacts and enhance image quality, then ROI-based extraction is done in three stages to accurately identify the LV. The extracted features are given as input to three different deep learning structures for segmenting the LV in an efficient way. The contour edges are processed in the standard ConvNet, the contour points are processed using Fully ConvNet and finally the noise free images are converted into patches to perform pixel-wise operations in ConvNets. The proposed Tri-ConvNets model achieves the Jaccard indices of 0.9491 ± 0.0188 for the sunny brook dataset and 0.9497 ± 0.0237 for the York dataset, and the dice index of 0.9419 ± 0.0178 for the ACDC dataset and 0.9414 ± 0.0247 for LVSC dataset respectively. The experimental results also reveal that the proposed Tri-ConvNets model is faster and requires minimal resources compared to state-of-the-art models.

Spexin inhibits excessive autophagy-induced ferroptosis to alleviate doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by upregulating Beclin 1.

Doxorubicin is widely used in the treatment of malignant tumours, but doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity severely limits its clinical application. Spexin is a neuropeptide that acts as a novel biomarker in cardiovascular disease. However, the effects of spexin on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity is unclear. We established a model of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro. Levels of cardiac damage in mice was assessed through cardiac function assessment, determination of serum cardiac troponin T and CKMB levels and histological examination. CCK8 and PI staining were used to assess the doxorubicin-induced toxicity in cultures of cardiomyocytes in vitro. Ferroptosis was assessed using FerroOrange staining, determination of MDA and 4-HNE content and ferroptosis-associated proteins SLC7A11 and GPX4. Mitochondrial membrane potential and lipid peroxidation levels were measured using TMRE and C11-BODIPY 581/591 probes, respectively. Myocardial autophagy was assessed by expression of P62 and Beclin1. Spexin treatment improved heart function of mice with doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, and attenuated doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by decreasing iron accumulation, abnormal lipid metabolism and inhibiting ferroptosis. Interestingly, doxorubicin caused excessive autophagy in cardiomyocyte in culture, which could be alleviated by treatment with spexin. Knockdown of Beclin 1 eliminated the protective effects of spexin in mice with DIC. Spexin ameliorated doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibiting excessive autophagy-induced ferroptosis, suggesting that spexin could be a drug candidate against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Beclin 1 might be critical in mediating the protective effect of spexin against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

Cardiac Mechanics and the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation in a Community-Based Cohort of Older Adults.

Assessment of cardiac structure and function improves risk prediction of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) in different populations. We aimed to comprehensively compare standard and newer measures of cardiac structure and function in improving prediction of AF in a cohort of older adults without history of AF and stroke. We included 5050 participants without prevalent AF and stroke (mean age 75 ± 5 years, 59% women and 22% Black) from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study who underwent complete 2-dimensional echocardiography, including speckle-tracking analysis of the left ventricle (LV) and left atrium (LA). We assessed the association of cardiac measures with incident AF (including atrial flutter) and quantified the extent to which these measures improved model discrimination and risk classification of AF compared with the CHARGE-AF score. Over a median follow-up time of 7 years, 676 participants developed AF (incidence rate, 2.13 per 100 person-years). LV mass index and wall thickness, E/e' and measures of LA structure and function, but not LV systolic function, were associated with incident AF, after accounting for confounders. Above all, LA reservoir strain, contraction strain, and LA minimal volume index (C-statistics [95%Confidence interval]: 0.73 [0.70,0.75], 0.72 [0.70,0.75] and 0.72 [0.69,0.75], respectively) significantly improved the risk discrimination of the CHARGE-AF score (baseline C-statistic: 0.68 [0.65,0.70]) and achieved the highest category-based net reclassification improvement (29%, 24% and 20%, respectively). In a large cohort of older adults without prevalent AF and stroke, measures of LA function improved the prediction of AF more than other conventional cardiac measures.

Value of fetal echocardiographic examination in pregnancies complicated by preterm premature rupture of membranes.

Cardiopulmonary and infectious complications are more common in preterm newborns after preterm premature rupture of membranes (pPROM). Fetal echocardiography may be helpful in predicting neonatal condition. Our aim was to assess the cardiovascular changes in fetuses from pregnancies complicated by pPROM and possible utility in predicting the intrauterine or neonatal infection, and neonatal heart failure (HF). It was a prospective study enrolling 46 women with singleton pregnancies complicated by pPROM between 18+0 and 33+6 weeks of gestation and followed until delivery. 46 women with uncomplicated pregnancies served as a control group. Fetal echocardiographic examinations with the assessment of cardiac structure and function (including pulmonary circulation) were performed in all patients. Mean gestational age of pPROM patients was 26 weeks. Parameters suggesting impaired cardiac function in fetuses from pPROM were: higher right ventricle Tei index (0.48 vs. 0.42 p<0.001), lower blood flow velocity in Ao z-score (0.14 vs. 0.84 p=0.005), lower cardiovascular profile score (CVPS), higher rate of tricuspid regurgitation (18.2 % vs. 4.4 % p=0.04) and pericardial effusion (32.6 vs. 0 %). Intrauterine infection was diagnosed in 18 patients (39 %). 4 (8.7 %) newborns met the criteria of early onset sepsis (EOS). HF was diagnosed in 9 newborns. In fetal echocardiographic examination HF group had shorter mitral valve inflow time and higher left ventricle Tei index (0.58 vs. 0.49 p=0.007). Worse cardiac function was observed in fetuses from pPROM compared to fetuses from uncomplicated pregnancies.

A deep learning-assisted skin-integrated pulse sensing system for reliable pulse monitoring and cardiac function assessment

Long-term pulse monitoring plays a vital role in the prevention and diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases since pulse signals can provide rich characteristics of cardiac conditions. Flexible sensors mounting on the wrist for pulse monitoring have drawn great attention due to the advantages of soft, skin-interfaced and non-invasive features. However, slight wrist movement and transposition of the sensor on skin would dramatically impact the signal quality because of motion artifacts and interfacial properties. Here, we report an intelligent skin-integrated system by combining a sensitive pressure sensor array and a signal enhancement algorithm to provide reliable pulse signal monitoring. The sensors have the advantages of low cost, simple fabrication, reusability and high sensitivity. The multiple sensor channels offer rich information of vital signals, which can facilitate deep learning-based algorithms to denoise and reconstruct pulses more accurately and thus enable precise heart rate monitoring and heart variability assessments. The reported technology suggests a novel approach for pulse waveform detection in static and dynamic conditions, allowing users to more easily achieve reliable pulse monitoring.

Twenty-four-hour Normothermic Ex Vivo Heart Perfusion With Low Flow Functional Assessment in an Adult Porcine Model.

Cold static storage and normothermic ex vivo heart perfusion are routinely limited to 6 h. This report describes intermittent left atrial (LA) perfusion that allows cardiac functional assessment in a working heart mode. Using our adult porcine model, general anesthesia was induced and a complete cardiectomy was performed following cardioplegic arrest. Back-table instrumentation was completed and normothermic ex vivo heart perfusion (NEHP) was initiated in a nonworking heart mode (Langendorff). After 1 h of resuscitation and recovery, LA perfusion was initiated and the heart was transitioned to a coronary flow-only working heart mode for 30 min. Baseline working heart parameters were documented and the heart was returned to nonworking mode. Working heart assessments were performed for 30 min every 6 h for 24 h. Twenty-four-hour NEHP on 9 consecutive hearts (280 ± 42.1 g) was successful and no significant differences were found between working heart parameters at baseline and after 24 h of perfusion. There was no difference between initial and final measurements of LA mean pressures (5.0 ± 3.1 versus 9.0 ± 6.5 mm Hg, P = 0.22), left ventricular systolic pressures (44.3 ± 7.2 versus 39.1 ± 9.0 mm Hg, P = 0.13), mean aortic pressures (30.9 ± 5.8 versus 28.1 ± 8.1 mm Hg, P = 0.37), and coronary resistance (0.174 ± 0.046 versus 0.173 ± 0.066 mL/min/g, P = 0.90). There were also no significant differences between lactate (2.4 ± 0.5 versus 2.6 ± 0.4 mmol/L, P = 0.17) and glucose (173 ± 75 versus 156 ± 70 mg/dL, P = 0.37). A novel model using intermittent LA perfusion to create a coronary flow-only working heart mode for assessment of ex vivo cardiac function has been successfully developed.

Hemodynamic assessment by neonatologist using echocardiography: Primary provider versus consultation model.

Hemodynamic instability is very common in sick neonates and the currently used traditional hemodynamic monitoring tools lack sensitivity and specificity. Hemodynamic evaluation on echocardiography can provide direct information regarding the pathophysiology causing the hemodynamic instability and help the bedside clinician in making a personalized treatment approach based upon the deranged pathophysiology. Assessment of cardiac function and hemodynamics is essential in the management of neonates with cardiorespiratory failure, and hence neonatologist-performed echocardiography is becoming an essential tool in modern neonatal care. Depending on the level and size of the NICU, there is a daily need for echocardiography, and for a subset of sick infants, serial echocardiographic assessments are warranted. Comprehensive guidelines for neonatologists performing echocardiography and targeted neonatal echocardiography have been published providing a framework for training and quality assurance. There has been a significant interest among the providers to learn echocardiography skills. This manuscript explores the various needs of neonatal care providers around echocardiography, the current challenges neonatologists face in learning echocardiography, and how they, especially neonatal fellows, can learn these important skills during their training.

Dynamic changes of hepatic vein Doppler velocities predict preload responsiveness in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients

BackgroundAssessment of dynamic parameters to guide fluid administration is one of the mainstays of current resuscitation strategies. Each test has its own limitations, but passive leg raising (PLR) has emerged as one of the most versatile preload responsiveness tests. However, it requires real-time cardiac output (CO) measurement either through advanced monitoring devices, which are not routinely available, or echocardiography, which is not always feasible. Analysis of the hepatic vein Doppler waveform change, a simpler ultrasound-based assessment, during a dynamic test such as PLR could be useful in predicting preload responsiveness. The objective of this study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of hepatic vein Doppler S and D-wave velocities during PLR as a predictor of preload responsiveness.MethodsProspective observational study conducted in two medical–surgical ICUs in Chile. Patients in circulatory failure and connected to controlled mechanical ventilation were included from August to December 2023. A baseline ultrasound assessment of cardiac function was performed. Then, simultaneously, ultrasound measurements of hepatic vein Doppler S and D waves and cardiac output by continuous pulse contour analysis device were performed during a PLR maneuver.ResultsThirty-seven patients were analyzed. 63% of the patients were preload responsive defined by a 10% increase in CO after passive leg raising. A 20% increase in the maximum S wave velocity after PLR showed the best diagnostic accuracy with a sensitivity of 69.6% (49.1–84.4) and specificity of 92.8 (68.5–99.6) to detect preload responsiveness, with an area under curve of receiving operator characteristic (AUC–ROC) of 0.82 ± 0.07 (p = 0.001 vs. AUC–ROC of 0.5). D-wave velocities showed worse diagnostic accuracy.ConclusionsHepatic vein Doppler assessment emerges as a novel complementary technique with adequate predictive capacity to identify preload responsiveness in patients in mechanical ventilation and circulatory failure. This technique could become valuable in scenarios of basic hemodynamic monitoring and when echocardiography is not feasible. Future studies should confirm these results.

Screening and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease using artificial intelligence-enabled cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is the gold standard for cardiac function assessment and plays a crucial role in diagnosing cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, its widespread application has been limited by the heavy resource burden of CMR interpretation. Here, to address this challenge, we developed and validated computerized CMR interpretation for screening and diagnosis of 11 types of CVD in 9,719 patients. We propose a two-stage paradigm consisting of noninvasive cine-based CVD screening followed by cine and late gadolinium enhancement-based diagnosis. The screening and diagnostic models achieved high performance (area under the curve of 0.988 ± 0.3% and 0.991 ± 0.0%, respectively) in both internal and external datasets. Furthermore, the diagnostic model outperformed cardiologists in diagnosing pulmonary arterial hypertension, demonstrating the ability of artificial intelligence-enabled CMR to detect previously unidentified CMR features. This proof-of-concept study holds the potential to substantially advance the efficiency and scalability of CMR interpretation, thereby improving CVD screening and diagnosis.

Application of computational fluid dynamics in the evaluation of left ventricular function in cardiomyopathies and coronary disease

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is an emerging technology applied in the field of cardiovascular medicine, which can obtain hemodynamic data by simulating the blood flow in the patient's heart for cardiac function assessment and disease diagnosis. Left ventricular function plays a key role in the occurrence and development of cardiomyopathies and coronary disease. CFD can reconstruct the left ventricular anatomic structures of patients to clarify pathophysiologic mechanisms and analyze hemodynamic parameters to evaluate left ventricular function, verify surgical efficacy, and guide surgical strategy, which has a positive effect on achieving early diagnosis and reducing mortality from cardiomyopathies and coronary disease. At present, there are still technical limitations in the large-scale clinical application of CFD, and various solutions are being developed and tested, and further improvement and refinement are needed.

The Role of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Cardiomyopathies in the Light of New Guidelines: A Focus on Tissue Mapping.

Cardiomyopathies (CMPs) are a group of myocardial disorders that are characterized by structural and functional abnormalities of the heart muscle. These abnormalities occur in the absence of coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension, valvular disease, and congenital heart disease. CMPs are an increasingly important topic in the field of cardiovascular diseases due to the complexity of their diagnosis and management. In 2023, the ESC guidelines on cardiomyopathies were first published, marking significant progress in the field. The growth of techniques such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and genetics has been fueled by the development of multimodal imaging approaches. For the diagnosis of CMPs, a multimodal imaging approach, including CMR, is recommended. CMR has become the standard for non-invasive analysis of cardiac morphology and myocardial function. This document provides an overview of the role of CMR in CMPs, with a focus on tissue mapping. CMR enables the characterization of myocardial tissues and the assessment of cardiac functions. CMR sequences and techniques, such as late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and parametric mapping, provide detailed information on tissue composition, fibrosis, edema, and myocardial perfusion. These techniques offer valuable insights for early diagnosis, prognostic evaluation, and therapeutic guidance of CMPs. The use of quantitative CMR markers enables personalized treatment plans, improving overall patient outcomes. This review aims to serve as a guide for the use of these new tools in clinical practice.

Changes in blood metabolomes as potential markers for severity and prognosis in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity: a study in HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer patients.

We aimed to compare the changes in blood metabolomes and cardiac parameters following doxorubicin treatment in HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer patients. Additionally, the potential roles of changes in blood metabolomes as severity and prognostic markers of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity were determined. HER2-positive (n = 37) and HER2-negative (n = 37) breast cancer patients were enrolled. Cardiac function assessment and blood collection were performed at baseline and 2weeks after completion of doxorubicin treatment in all patients, as well as at three months after completion of doxorubicin treatment in HER2-negative breast cancer patients. Blood obtained at all three-time points was processed for measuring cardiac injury biomarkers. Blood obtained at baseline and 2weeks after completion of doxorubicin treatment were also processed for measuring systemic oxidative stress and 85 metabolome levels. Cardiac injury and systolic dysfunction 2weeks after completion of doxorubicin treatment were comparable between these two groups of patients. However, only HER2-negative breast cancer patients exhibited increased systemic oxidative stress and cardiac autonomic dysfunction at this time point. Moreover, 33 and 29 blood metabolomes were altered at 2weeks after completion of doxorubicin treatment in HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer patients, respectively. The changes in most of these metabolomes were correlated with the changes in cardiac parameters, both at 2weeks and 3months after completion of doxorubicin treatment. The changes in blood metabolomes following doxorubicin treatment were dependent on HER2 status, and these changes might serve as severity and prognostic markers of doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. The study was conducted under ethical approval from the Institutional Review Board of the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (Registration number: MED-2563-07001; Date: April 28, 2020). The study also complied with the Declaration of Helsinki.

Fetal left and right ventricular strain parameters using speckle tracking in congenital heart diseases.

Assessment of fetal ventricular function is mostly subjective, and currently, for the objective assessment left ventricular shortening fraction is obtained. However, this by itself is not very reliable. Hence, more tools that can provide an objective assessment are needed to increase the confidence of functional assessment. Speckle tracking imaging can provide one such tool. In this study we sought to establish the normative value of global longitudinal and circumferential strain for our fetal patients and for two major forms of congenital heart diseases, namely atrioventricular canal defects (AVC) and uncorrected dextro-transposition of the great arteries (dTGA) to act as a benchmark. The study was completed via a single center retrospective analysis on 72 fetal echocardiograms (26 normal, 15 dTGA, and 31 AVC). Tomtec Arena™ echocardiography analysis software was used for analysis. In normal fetuses, mean left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) was - 22.6% (95% CI -24, -21.1) and mean right ventricular (RV) GLS was - 22.1% (95% CI -23.6, -20.6). In AVC patients LV GLS was-26.6% (95% CI -28,-25.3) and mean RV GLS was - 26.5% (95% CI -27.9,-25.2). In dTGA patients LV GLS was - 22.9% (95% CI of -24.8, -21) and RV GLS was - 21.3% (95% CI was - 23.4, -20.8). There was good intra-rater reliability though poor to fair inter-rater reliability. Notwithstanding its current limitations, strain imaging can provide useful information that can increase confidence of cardiac functional assessment in fetal patients. However, to be reliable across the board, further automation and standardization is required.

Head-to-toe bedside ultrasound for adult patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Bedside ultrasound represents a well-suited diagnostic and monitoring tool for patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) who may be too unstable for transport to other hospital areas for diagnostic tests. The role of ultrasound, however, starts even before ECMO initiation. Every patient considered for ECMO should have a thorough ultrasonographic assessment of cardiac and valvular function, as well as vascular anatomy without delaying ECMO cannulation. The role of pre-ECMO ultrasound is to confirm the indication for ECMO, identify clinical situations for which ECMO is not indicated, rule out contraindications, and inform the choice of ECMO configuration. During ECMO cannulation, the use of vascular and cardiac ultrasound reduces the risk of complications and ensures adequate cannula positioning. Ultrasound remains key for monitoring during ECMO support and troubleshooting ECMO complications. For instance, ultrasound is helpful in the assessment of drainage insufficiency, hemodynamic instability, biventricular function, persistent hypoxemia, and recirculation on venovenous (VV) ECMO. Lung ultrasound can be used to monitor signs of recovery on VV ECMO. Brain ultrasound provides valuable diagnostic and prognostic information on ECMO. Echocardiography is essential in the assessment of readiness for liberation from venoarterial (VA) ECMO. Lastly, post decannulation ultrasound mainly aims at identifying post decannulation thrombosis and vascular complications. This review will cover the role of head-to-toe ultrasound for the management of adult ECMO patients from decision to initiate ECMO to the post decannulation phase.

The mechanics of congenital heart disease: from a morphological trait to the functional echocardiographic evaluation.

Advances in pediatric cardiac surgery have resulted in a recent growing epidemic of children and young adults with congenital heart diseases (CHDs). In these patients, congenital defects themselves, surgical operations and remaining lesions may alter cardiac anatomy and impact the mechanical performance of both ventricles. Cardiac function significantly influences outcomes in CHDs, necessitating regular patient follow-up to detect clinical changes and relevant risk factors. Echocardiography remains the primary imaging method for CHDs, but clinicians must understand patients' unique anatomies as different CHDs exhibit distinct anatomical characteristics affecting cardiac mechanics. Additionally, the use of myocardial deformation imaging and 3D echocardiography has gained popularity for enhanced assessment of cardiac function and anatomy. This paper discusses the role of echocardiography in evaluating cardiac mechanics in most significant CHDs, particularly its ability to accommodate and interpret the inherent anatomical substrate in these conditions.

Comprehensive Assessment of Cardiac Function in Breast Cancer Patients: Integrating Multiparametric Speckle Tracking Imaging and Conventional Echocardiography Parameters.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to comprehensively evaluate the role of different echocardiography parameters in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. While echocardiography examination with calculation of ejection fraction (EF), is pivotal for patient monitoring, its operator dependence and insensitivity to subtle changes in left ventricular (LV) contractility present challenges. Global longitudinal strain (GLS), derived from speckle tracking, is more sensitive and stable than EF. Our research aimed to delineate supplementary echocardiography measurements beneficial for the cardiological monitoring of breast cancer patients. Methods Patients were followed up with echocardiography at baseline, during, and after the chemotherapy. Conventional echocardiography and multiple speckle tracking imaging parameters including myocardial work index, atrial strain, twist, and automatic EF were investigated. Results A total of 25 patients were recruited. A subset (15/25) exhibited pronounced GLS reduction, associated with decreased EF and altered cardiac mechanics. Patients with unchanged GLS were often hypertensive and on specific medications, in particular angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), potentially indicating protective effects. Despite stability in other parameters, GLS and EF sensitivity highlight their importance. A strong correlation between manual and automated EF measurement methods was also observed. Conclusion Despite the small sample size, across diverse echocardiography parameters, GLS and EF are primarily affected by chemotherapy. Hypertensive individuals exhibited lower susceptibility to chemotherapy-induced damage, likely attributed to the cardioprotective properties of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers. A strong correlation between automatic and Simpson-based EF was found.