Echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular functions in healthy subjects who migrated from the sea level to a moderate altitude.
The aim of this study was to evaluate right ventricle (RV) functions using echocardiography in healthy subjects who migrated from the sea level to moderate altitude (1890 m).



The prospective observational in this study population consisted of 33 healthy subjects (23 men; mean age 20.4±3.2 years) who migrated from the sea level to a moderate altitude (Erzurum city centre, 1890 m above sea level) for long-term stay. Subjects underwent echocardiographic evaluation within the first 48 h of exposure to the moderate altitude and at the sixth month of arrival. Conventional echocardiographic parameters such as RV sizes and areas, systolic, and diastolic functional indices [fractional area change (FAC), tricuspid flow velocities, myocardial performance index (MPI), and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE)] were obtained. Systolic (S) and diastolic (E', A') velocities were acquired from the apical fourchamber view using tissue Doppler imaging. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, student's t-test, Wilcoxon test, and chi-square test were used in this study.



There were no significant changes in RV size, FAC, MPI, TAPSE, inferior inspiratory vena cava collapse, tricuspid E velocity, and tricuspid annulus E' velocity. Compared with the baseline, there was a significant increase in mean pulmonary artery pressure (p=0.001); RV end systolic area (p=0.014); right atrial end diastolic area (p=0.021); tricuspid A velocity (p=0.013); tricuspid annulus S and A' velocity (p=0.031 and p=0.006, respectively); and RV free wall S, E', and A' velocity (p=0.007, p<0.001, and p=0.007 respectively) at the sixth month. Also, there was a significant decrease in tricuspid E/A ratio (1.61±0.3 vs. 1.45±0.2, p=0.038) and tricuspid annulus E'/A' ratio (1.52±0.5 vs. 1.23±0.4, p=0.002) at the sixth month.



Our study revealed that right ventricular diastolic function was altered while the systolic function was preserved in healthy subjects who migrated from the sea level to a moderate altitude.
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat-Turkey. arfarsy@hotmail.com.
Arif
A
Arısoy
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum-Turkey.
Selim
S
Topçu
Department of Cardiology, Erzurum Regional Training and Research Hospital, Erzurum-Turkey.
Selami
S
Demirelli
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat-Turkey.
Fatih
F
Altunkaş
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat-Turkey.
Metin
M
Karayakalı
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat-Turkey.
Ataç
A
Çelik
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum-Turkey.
İbrahim Halil
İH
Tanboğa
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum-Turkey.
Enbiya
E
Aksakal
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Atatürk University, Erzurum-Turkey.
Serdar
S
Sevimli
Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Trakya University, Edirne-Turkey.
Hanefi Yekta
HY
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