[Novel Doppler indexes of estimation of pulmonary capillary pressure: influence of age, feasibility in the acute setting and reproducibility].
BACKGROUND
The Doppler indexes E/Vp, E/Ea, 1000/(2 x IRT + Vp), 1000/(2 x IRT + Ea) and DTd (E: peak E mitral velocity; Vp: flow propagation velocity by color M-mode; Ea: peak early diastolic velocity at lateral mitral annulus by tissue Doppler; IRT: isovolumic relaxation time; DTd: deceleration time of the pulmonary venous diastolic wave) have been proposed for the non-invasive prediction of left ventricular filling pressures. However, the influence of age, the feasibility in acute setting and the reproducibility of these Doppler indexes have never been simultaneously investigated.


OBJECTIVE
The present study was conducted to evaluate the influence of age in 56 healthy subjects (57 +/- 20 years of age), the feasibility in 40 critically ill patients (72 +/- 13 years of age; 21 with decompensated heart failure) and the reproducibility in 15 patients.


RESULTS
Only the indexes E/Vp (R = 0.37, P = 0.005) and E/Ea (R = 0.72, P < 0.001) were correlated with age. The feasibility was 92, 90, 72, 72 and 45% for E/Ea, 1000/(2 x IRT + Ea), E/Vp, 1000/(2 x IRT +Vp) and DTd, respectively. The best reproducibility was observed for the Doppler parameters E and Ea.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite it is influenced by age, E/Ea appears to be the most useful index for predicting left ventricular filling pressures routinely.
Pieri
B
B
Service de cardiologie, centre hospitalier d'Aubagne, avenue des Soeurs-Gastine, 13400 Aubagne, France.
Roux
E
E
Gélisse
R
R
Arquès
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002196:Capillaries / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results