COMPARISON BETWEEN THE MEAN DP DT DURING ISOVOLUMETRIC CONTRACTION AND OTHER ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC INDEXES OF VENTRICULAR SYSTOLIC FUNCTION/

Echocardiographic assessments of ventricular function derived from est imates of the mean dP/dt during isovolumetric contraction (mean dP/dt( ic)) were compared with those obtained from measurements of the shorte ning fraction and the stress-velocity index (SVI). Mean dP/dt(ic) corr elated well with the shortening fraction, r = 0.74, P < 0.0001. Furthe rmore, 10 out of 11 patients with mean dP/dt(ic) below 800 had a short ening fraction < 0.28, whereas all patients with a mean dP/dt(ic) > 10 00 mmHg/sec had a shortening fraction > 0.28. A good correlation also existed between mean dP/dt(ic) and the SVI, r = 0.73, P < 0.0001. Nine out of 11 patients with a mean dP/dt(ic) < 800 mmHg/sec had an SVI > 2 standard deviations below normal, whereas all patients with mean dP/ dt(ic) > 1000 mmHg/sec had normal or increased SVI. The correlation be tween mean dP/dt(ic) and the SVI was strengthened when mean. dP/dt(ic) was adjusted for heart rate and preload. Hence, assessments of ventri cular function derived from measurements of mean. dP/dt(ic) appear to agree well with those provided by the shortening fraction and SVI. Bec ause the determination of mean dP/dt(ic) is not hampered by unusual an atomy or wall motion (conditions which compromise the validity of the shortening fraction and SVI), mean dP/dt(ic) may be a good index of ve ntricular function in cases where measurements of the shortening fract ion and SVI would be unreliable.