title: Effect of Hypoxemia on Fetal Ventricular Deformation in a Chronically Instrumented Sheep Model.
abstract: We hypothesized that in near-term sheep fetuses, hypoxemia changes myocardial function as reflected in altered ventricular deformation on speckle-tracking echocardiography. Fetuses in 21 pregnant sheep were instrumented. After 4 d of recovery, fetal cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography at baseline, after 30 and 120 min of induced fetal hypoxemia and after its reversal. Left (LV) and right (RV) ventricular cardiac output and myocardial strain were measured. Baseline mean (standard deviation [SD]) LV and RV global longitudinal strains were -18.7% (3.8) and -14.3% (5.3). Baseline RV global longitudinal and circumferential deformations were less compared with those of the left ventricle (p = 0.016 and p < 0.005). LV, but not RV, global longitudinal strain was decreased (p = 0.003) compared with baseline with hypoxemia. Circumferential and radial strains did not exhibit significant changes. In the near-term sheep fetus, LV global longitudinal and circumferential strains are more negative than RV strains. Acute hypoxemia leads to LV rather than RV dysfunction as reflected by decreased deformation.
authors.affiliation: Women's Health & Perinatal Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway. Electronic address: abhide@sgul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Amarnath
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bhide
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kuopio University Hospital and University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rasanen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huhta
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Juulia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Junno
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Tiina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Erkinaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.
authors.forename: Pasi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ohtonen
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Lapland Central Hospital, Rovaniemi, Finland.
authors.forename: Mervi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haapsamo
authors.affiliation: Women's Health & Perinatal Research Group, Department of Clinical Medicine, UiT-The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ganesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Acharya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000150:complications* / Q000196:embryology; D011247:Pregnancy; D012756:Sheep; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal / Q000379:methods*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology* / Q000209:etiology; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000196:embryology* / Q000209:etiology
keywords: Hypoxemia; Sheep model; Speckle-tracking echocardiography