[The extent of diastolic dysfunction and its correlation with subjective impairment of physical capacity in dilated cardiomyopathy].
OBJECTIVE
To find out whether in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) there is a correlation between subjective reduction in physical capacity and the transmitral Doppler profile as a measure of left ventricular (LV) filling.


METHODS
30 consecutive patients (24 men, six women; average age 55 +/- 2 years) with chronic primary DCM were examined by Doppler echocardiography to determine possible differences in LV filling pattern, in correlation with subjective impairment of physical capacity graded according to the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification.


RESULTS
Mean LV ejection fraction was 34 +/- 1%. All patients were in sinus rhythm. Eight patients, in NYHA class I had nearly normal LV filling (E wave 79 m/s, A wave 0.76 m/s); 11 patients in class II had impaired relaxation (E wave 0.77 m/s. A wave 0.82 m/s) and 11 in class III/V had a restricted filling pattern (E wave 0.98 m/s. A wave 0.57 m/s). There was a significant difference between class II and class III/IV patients with regard to E wave deceleration time (0.15 and 0.11 s, respectively; P < 0.05), as well as between class I and class III/IV patients (0.18 and 0.11 s, respectively; P < 0.05). The A wave deceleration time was clearly shorter in class III/IV than class II (0.08 s and 0.11 s; P < 0.05) and class I patients (0.08 s and 0.10 s; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The extent of LV diastolic dysfunction correlated with subjective physical capacity. The more the LV filling pattern had changed from normal towards restricted, the greater the patient's symptoms.
Fruhwald
F M
FM
Abteilung für Kardiologie, Medizinische Klinik, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz. friedrich.fruhwald@kfunigraz.oc.at
Watzinger
N
N
Schumacher
M
M
Zweiker
R
R
Pokan
R
R
Klein
W
W
D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003971:Diastole; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010809:Physical Fitness / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D013599:Systole; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000145:classification / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology