title: Echocardiographic assessment of left atrial volume index in elderly patients with left ventricle anterior myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Enlarged left atrium predicts outcomes in patients with heart failure, atrial fibrillation and stroke. Left atrial volume especially when corrected for body size, is a more accurate representation of true LA size.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study left atrial volume index in elderly patients with left ventricle anterior infarction and correlate LAVi with left ventricle ejection fraction and transmitral Doppler flow.
  
  
  METHODS
  Control group consisted of 25 healthy elderly subjects Study group consisted of age and sex matched patients with LV anterior infarction with history of characteristic ischaemic chest pain. Patients with valve lesions, large shunts and rythum disturbances were excluded. On transthoracic echocardiography biplane method of disks was used to calculate LA volume. LAVi was calculated by dividing LA volume by body surface area of subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LAVi was significantly raised in elderly patients who suffered from AMI (P<0.005). We also found significant negative correlation of LAVi with LVEF, E wave peak velocity and deacceleration time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with advanced left venticular systolic and diastolic dysfunction had a significantly larger LAVi than healthy subjects. LAVi is useful for risk stratification and for guiding therapy in such patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, J.L.N. Medical College, Ajmer, Rajasthan, India.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maheshwari
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Tanwar
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kaushik