Prognostic value of echocardiographic right/left ventricular end-diastolic diameter ratio in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: results from a monocenter registry of 1,416 patients.
BACKGROUND
In the literature, echocardiographic assessment of the prognosis of acute pulmonary embolism is based on analysis of right ventricle free-wall motion or on a composite index combining right ventricular dilatation, paradoxical septal wall motion, and pulmonary hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of a single quantitative echocardiographic criterion, the right/left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (RV/LV) ratio.


METHODS
Registry data on 1,416 consecutive patients hospitalized for acute pulmonary embolism were used to study retrospectively a population of 950 patients who underwent echocardiographic assessment on hospital admission and for whom the RV/LV ratio was available.


RESULTS
The hospital mortality rate for the series was 3.3%. Sensitivity and specificity of RV/LV ratio >or= 0.9 for predicting hospital mortality were 72% and 58%, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed the independent predictive factors for hospital mortality to be the following: systolic BP < 90 mm Hg (odds ratio [OR], 10.73; p < 0.0001), history of left heart failure (OR, 8.99; p < 0.0001), and RV/LV ratio >or= 0.9 (OR, 2.66; p = 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
In our retrospective series, an echocardiographic RV/LV ratio >or= 0.9 was shown to be an independent predictive factor for hospital mortality. This criterion may be of value in selecting cases of submassive pulmonary embolism with a poor prognosis that are liable to benefit from thrombolytic treatment.
Frémont
Benoît
B
Intensive Care Unit and Cardiology A Department, Trousseau Hospital, 37044 Tours Cedex, France.
Pacouret
Gérard
G
Jacobi
David
D
Puglisi
Raphaël
R
Charbonnier
Bernard
B
de Labriolle
Axel
A
D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right