title: Value of left ventricular filling parameters to predict mortality and functional class in patients with heart disease from the community.
abstract: Surprisingly few studies described the value of Doppler parameters in patients from the community.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to determine the prevalence of prolonged IVRT (>0.105s) or a prolonged EDT (>0.280s) with a reduced E/A (<0.5) in heart patients from the community without valvular, systolic or rhythmic dysfunction. The associations of these parameters to all cause mortality and NYHA functional class were examined as well.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-two volunteer stable patients with a history of heart disease were identified from general practice. Patients with LVEF below 0.45, valvular abnormalities, atrial fibrillation, and pacemaker were excluded. Routine blood tests, echocardiography, chest X-ray, physical examination and mortality were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  
  
  
  METHODS
  male 33%, mean age of 68 years, hypertension 82%, ischaemic heart disease 43%, and NYHA class I+II+III in 50+39+11%. Abnormal EDT occurred in 4% (95% CI from 0 to 9%), IVRT in 18% (9-27%), E/A in 0%. None had a restrictive pattern. EDT was longer in NYHA III than in NYHA I-II patients (median 0.25 vs. 0.19s, p=0.0006). E/A and IVRT were not associated with NYHA class or mortality. After 7.4 years 16 of 72 patients died. EDT predicted mortality in univariate analysis but not in a multivariate analysis where NYHA class and gender were the only significant predictors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prolonged EDT was weakly associated to NYHA class and mortality while IVRT and E/A were not. Prolonged IVRT was a frequent finding, but a diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction is not supported by mild to moderate abnormal IVRT or E/A.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Department Y, Bispebjerg Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. own@dadlnet.dk
authors.forename: Olav Wendelboe
authors.initials: OW
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sajedieh
authors.forename: Frants
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: Jørgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fischer Hansen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003971:Diastole / Q000502:physiology; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015995:Prevalence; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology