Prognostic value of mitral regurgitation assessment during exercise echocardiography in patients with left ventricular dysfunction: a follow-up study of 1.7 +/- 1.5 years.
OBJECTIVE
The value of exercise echocardiography (EE) over resting echocardiography when this last incorporates information on mitral regurgitation (MR) is only partially known. Furthermore, limited data exist regarding the value of MR worsening during exercise in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. We investigate whether EE has incremental value over a resting echo-Doppler study; and whether post-exercise MR increments the value of EE for predicting outcome in patients with LV dysfunction.


RESULTS
Three hundred and twenty-three consecutive patients with LV dysfunction (LV ejection fraction < or =45%) referred for EE were followed for 1.7 +/- 1.5 years. There were 43 hard events (myocardial infarction in 9 and cardiac death in 34). Resting MR, peak heart rate x blood pressure, and number of involved territories at exercise were independently associated to hard events (incremental P-value of EE =0.02). Independent variables associated to cardiac death were resting MR, peak heart rate x blood pressure, peak wall motion score index, and MR worsening (incremental P-value of MR worsening = 0.04).


CONCLUSIONS
EE maintains its prognostic value over resting echocardiography even when this last incorporates information on MR. Exercise-induced MR worsening has independent prognostic value for cardiac death in patients with LV dysfunction.
Peteiro
Jesús
J
Unit of Echocardiography, Juan Canalejo Hospital, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain. peteiro@canalejo.org
Bendayan
Isaac
I
Mariñas
Javier
J
Campos
Rosa
R
Bouzas
Beatriz
B
Castro-Beiras
Alfonso
A
D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018618:Echocardiography, Doppler, Color; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008944:Mitral Valve Insufficiency / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000628:therapy