title: Alterations in transesophageal pulsed Doppler indexes of filling of the left ventricle after pericardiotomy.
abstract: The impact of pericardial constraint on patterns of left ventricular filling was measured by transesophageal pulsed Doppler echocardiography in 30 patients undergoing elective nonvalvular cardiac surgery. Peak early left ventricular filling velocity increased from 0.52 +/- 0.11 to 0.56 +/- 0.15 m/s (p less than 0.05) and early left ventricular filling fraction increased from 60 +/- 9% to 65 +/- 9% (p less than 0.005) after pericardiotomy. The study group was retrospectively subdivided into two groups based on the prepericardiotomy mean right atrial pressure, an index of intrapericardial pressure and hence pericardial constraint. In 13 patients with a mean right atrial pressure less than 6 mm Hg, no significant changes in early left ventricular filling were evident after pericardiotomy. In 17 patients with a mean right atrial pressure greater than or equal to 6 mm Hg indicative of a greater degree of pericardial constraint before pericardiotomy, significant increases in peak early filling velocity (0.52 +/- 0.13 to 0.57 +/- 0.19 m/s, p less than 0.05), peak early filling rate (4.29 +/- 0.67 to 4.66 +/- 0.86 stroke volumes/s, p less than 0.05) and early left ventricular filling fraction (57 +/- 7% to 63 +/- 8%, p less than 0.001) were measured after pericardiotomy. Thus, the pericardium does constrain early left ventricular filling and its effects are more pronounced in patients with an elevated right atrial pressure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois 60153.
authors.forename: S I
authors.initials: SI
authors.lastname: Reynertson
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Konstadt
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Louie
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Segil
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Scanlon
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016280:Atrial Function, Right; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002302:Cardiac Output; D004452:Echocardiography; D004947:Esophagus / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010492:Pericardiectomy / Q000592:standards*; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left