Effect of increasing heart rate on Doppler indices of left ventricular performance in healthy men.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of heart rate on the Doppler measurements of left ventricular function and to determine the normal pattern of rate dependency.


METHODS
University hospital specialising in internal medicine.


METHODS
14 healthy male volunteers 10 of whom were studied.


METHODS
Transoesophageal atrial pacing.


METHODS
At paced rates of 70, 80, and 90 ppm the ratio of early to late peak transmitral flow velocity (E/A) was 1.97 (0.28), 1.49 (0.21), and 0.95 (0.11) respectively; the ratio of early to late time-velocity integrals of transmitral flow (Ei/Ai) was 3.03 (0.51), 2.11 (0.24), and 1.14 (0.30) respectively; and the atrial filling fraction (AFF) was 0.17 (0.03), 0.21, (0.04), and 0.24 (0.04) (mean (SD)).


RESULTS
Heart rate showed a linear correlation with E/A (r2 = 0.806), Ei/Ai (r2 = 0.838), and AFF (r2 = 0.343). Neither the peak aortic flow velocity or the mean aortic flow acceleration showed significant changes during pacing at rates of 70, 80, 90, and 100 ppm.


CONCLUSIONS
E/A and Ei/Ai can be expected to decrease by 0.5 and 0.9 for each increase of 10 beats/min in heart rate. Knowledge of this relation may be useful for the development of algorithms to correct for heart rate when diastolic function is assessed.
Oniki
T
T
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, School of Medicine, Japan.
Hashimoto
Y
Y
Shimizu
S
S
Kakuta
T
T
Yajima
M
M
Numano
F
F
D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000502:physiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology*