title: Predictive value of M-mode echocardiography in patients with congestive heart failure.
abstract: The M-mode echocardiogram (ECHO) is widely used to follow patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), but the value of ECHO for this purpose is unclear. In 49 patients with symptomatic CHF, we obtained ECHO during baseline evaluation to determine the value of ECHO for predicting 1-year survival or maximal oxygen uptake during exercise (VOmax). The cause of CHF was coronary artery disease in 12 patients and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in 37 patients. Overall mortality at 1 year was 10 of 49 (20%), but was higher in patients with coronary artery disease (42%) compared to those with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (14%), p less than 0.001. ECHO indices of left ventricular contractility were greater in survivors (S) in whom shortening fraction averaged 16 +/- 8 (SD)% vs 10 +/- 4% in nonsurvivors (NOS), p less than 0.025. Velocity of circumferential fiber shortening averaged 0.53 +/- 0.25 Hz in S vs 0.35 +/- 0.15 Hz in NOS, p less than 0.05. No left ventricular dimensions, including systolic and diastolic diameters, volume, wall thickness, and mass differed significantly between S and NOS. No ECHO measure of left ventricular dimensions or contractility correlated significantly with VOmax. Thus, ECHO may be useful to predict survival but not functional capacity in patients with CHF.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications; D004452:Echocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis