title: Baseline echocardiographic characteristics of heart failure patients enrolled in a large European multicentre trial (CArdiac REsynchronisation Heart Failure study).
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Information on the prevalence and clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic inter-relationships of mechanical dyssynchrony among patients with heart failure (HF) and left ventricular systolic dysfunction derives mainly from relatively small studies. The CARE-HF trial provides the opportunity to address these issues in a large population of patients with advanced HF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CARE-HF trial enrolled patients with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III or IV HF, with a QRS duration > or =120 ms, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) < or =35% and LV end diastolic diameter > or =30 mm/m (height in m). Patients underwent a thorough echocardiographic evaluation, which included assessment of LV structure, systolic function, mitral inflow pattern, right ventricular (RV) dimensions and function, and interventricular mechanical delay (IVMD) as an index of interventricular dyssynchrony. Echocardiographic measurements were made in a Core Laboratory to ensure consistent quantitative analysis. Of the 813 patients enrolled, 735 had a baseline echocardiographic examination suitable for measurement. Overall patients had advanced LV dysfunction (mean EF 25.5%) but few had a restrictive mitral filling pattern (18%) and both the mean RV diameter and RV function were within normal limits. Interventricular dyssynchrony defined as IVMD >40 ms was present in 455 patients (62%). Clinical, electrocardiographic and standard echocardiographic variables were only loosely associated with IVMD.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventricular dyssynchrony appears to be an independent characteristic of patients with advanced HF, and is poorly related to clinical, electrocardiographic or standard echocardiographic variable.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, IRCCS Policlinico S. Matteo, University Hospital, Pavia, Italy. echolab@smatteo.pv.it
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghio
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Freemantle
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serio
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Magrini
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Scelsi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pasotti
authors.forename: John G F
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cleland
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tavazzi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D015588:Observer Variation; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D016278:Ventricular Function, Right