Clinical relevance of echocardiography in acute severe dyspnea.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to assess the most relevant echocardiographic parameter for the clinical diagnosis of acute dyspnea due to left-heart dysfunction.


METHODS
Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in 88 patients in sinus rhythm admitted for respiratory distress. Two experts determined the cause of dyspnea as cardiogenic (26 patients) or noncardiogenic (62 patients).


RESULTS
The feasibility was 100% for the E/A ratio and the E/E deceleration time (EDT) ratio but 97%, 89%, and 85% for the E/Ea ratio, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and the E/propagation velocity (Vp) ratio, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for E/EDT (0.947 +/- 0.035) was statistically significantly greater than that for E/A (0.753 +/- 0.068) (P = .004). The areas under the curves for all other parameters were not statistically significantly different. In the subpopulation of patients with LVEFs > 45%, the area under the curve for LVEF was significantly smaller than those for E/Ea, E/EDT, and E/Vp.


CONCLUSIONS
E/EDT, E/Ea, and E/Vp appear equally useful to distinguish acute dyspnea due to left-heart dysfunction from that of pulmonary origin. However, E/EDT and E/Ea can be considered the best indices with regard to feasibility.
Feissel
Marc
M
Unité de Réanimation Polyvalente, Centre Hospitalier de Belfort-Montbéliard, Site de Belfort, Belfort, France.
Maizel
Julien
J
Robles
Georges
G
Badie
Julio
J
Faller
Jean Pierre
JP
Slama
Michel
M
D000465:Algorithms; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000150:complications* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007089:Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology*