Invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed in 7 patients who presented with congestive heart failure, normal left ventricular ejection fraction and no significant coronary or valvular heart disease and in 10 age-matched normal subjects. Compared with the normal subjects, patients demonstrates severe exercise intolerance with a 48% reduction in peak oxygen consumption (11.6 +/- 4.0 versus 22.7 +/- 6.1 ml/kg per min; p less than 0.001), primarily due to a 41% reduction in peak cardiac index (4.2 +/- 1.4 versus 7.1 +/- 1.1 liters/min per m2; p less than 0.001). In patients compared with normal subjects, peak left ventricular stroke volume index (34 +/- 9 versus 46 +/- 7 ml/min per m2; p less than 0.01) and end-diastolic volume index (56 +/- 14 versus 68 +/- 12 ml/min per m2; p less than 0.08) were reduced, whereas peak ejection fraction and end-systolic volume index were not different. In patients, the change in end-diastolic volume index during exercise correlated strongly with the change in stroke volume index (r = 0.97; p less than 0.0001) and cardiac index (r = 0.80; p less than 0.03). Pulmonary wedge pressure was markedly increased at peak exercise in patients compared with normal subjects (25.7 +/- 9.1 versus 7.1 +/- 4.4 mm Hg; p less than 0.0001). Patients demonstrated a shift of the left ventricular end-diastolic pressure-volume relation upward and to the left at rest. Increases in left ventricular filling pressure during exercise were not accompanied by increases in end-diastolic volume, indicating a limitation to left ventricular filling.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

No abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether age-related alterations in Doppler diastolic filling indexes occur independent of cardiovascular disease and confounding physiologic variables. Ten old (62 to 73 years) and 10 young (21 to 32 years) healthy male volunteers were rigorously screened for cardiovascular disease and underwent comprehensive Doppler echocardiography, radionuclide ventriculography and invasive measurements of right heart and left atrial pressures. There were no differences between the two groups in the physiologic variables of left ventricular mass, volumes, ejection fraction, end-systolic wall stress, left atrial size, heart rate and right atrial, pulmonary artery, pulmonary capillary wedge and systemic arterial pressures. However, there were marked differences in Doppler left ventricular filling indexes. Compared with the young group, the old group had reduced peak early diastolic flow velocity (56 +/- 13 vs. 82 +/- 12 cm/s, p = 0.0002) and increased atrial diastolic flow velocity (59 +/- 14 vs. 43 +/- 10 cm/s, p = 0.009) and had a peak atrial/early flow velocity (A/E) ratio twice that of the young group (1.09 +/- 0.29 vs. 0.54 +/- 0.15, p less than 0.0001). Similar results were obtained for the time-velocity integrals of the peaks. Subjects in the old group also had a markedly reduced peak filling rate (274 +/- 62 vs. 448 +/- 152 ml/s, p = 0.004). In univariate and multivariate regression analyses, peak early and atrial flow velocities were not related to any of the physiologic variables measured once age was accounted for, although peak filling rate, a volumetric measure flow, was related to body surface area as well as age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Quantification of luminal dimensions and the mechanisms by which angioplasty (PTA) corrects non-atheroma venous fistula stenoses have been poorly studied. In 38 consecutive percutaneous balloon angioplasties of hemodialysis fistula stenoses, catheter-based, mechanically-rotated intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) images were obtained along with cineangiography. Images from 24 brachial vein, 11 central vein, 2 graft anastomoses, and 1 brachial artery were quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated. Semiautomated quantitative angiographic stenosis was 64 +/- 13% pre-PTA and reduced to 36 +/- 19% post-PTA (P less than 0.001). Post-PTA IVUS minimal lesion diameter and cross sectional area were 5.7 +/- 1.5 mm and 2.9 +/- 1.5 mm2, respectively. With IVUS, mechanisms observed were: vessel dissection in 16 (42%), arterial stretch (defined as vessel diameter: balloon diameter ratio = 0.75 to 1.0) in 19 (50%), and elastic recoil (defined as vessel diameter: balloon diameter ratio less than 0.75) in 19 (50%). Compared to angiography, morphologic information provided by IVUS were plaque composition (hard 11%, soft 89%), plaque topography (eccentric 94%, concentric 6%), thrombus (IVUS: N = 6 vs. angio: N = 1), dissection (IVUS: N = 16 vs. angio: N = 1). Thus, IVUS can evaluate lesion morphology and define luminal dimensions after angioplasty. Mechanisms of successful angioplasty of hemodialysis fistula stenosis occur primarily by vessel stretching and dissection, and significant post-PTA narrowing is due to elastic recoil.

To assess the value of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography during cardiac valve surgery, 154 consecutive patients who had a valve operation in conjunction with pre- and postcardiopulmonary bypass transesophageal imaging were studied. Prebypass imaging yielded unsuspected findings that either assisted or changed the planned operation in 29 (19%) of the 154 patients. Imaging immediately after bypass revealed unsatisfactory operative results that necessitated immediate further surgery in 10 (6%) of the 154 patients. Postbypass left ventricular dysfunction, prompting administration of inotropic agents, was identified in 13 patients (8%). Transesophageal echocardiography proved most useful when both two-dimensional and Doppler color flow imaging were employed in patients undergoing a mitral valve operation, where surgical decisions based on echocardiographic results were made in 26 (41%) of 64 cases. Postbypass echocardiographic findings identified patients at risk for an adverse postoperative outcome. Of 123 patients whose postbypass valve function was judged to be satisfactory, 18 (15%) had a major postoperative complication and 6 (5%) died, whereas of 7 patients with moderate residual valve dysfunction, 6 (86%) had a postoperative complication and 3 (43%) died (p less than 0.05 for both). Likewise, of 131 patients with preserved postbypass left ventricular function, 12 (9%) had a major complication and 7 (5%) died, whereas of 23 patients with reduced ventricular function, 17 (73%) had a postoperative complication and 6 (26%) died (p less than 0.05 for both). These data indicate that intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography is useful in formulating the surgical plan, assessing immediate operative results and identifying patients with unsatisfactory results who are at increased risk for postoperative complications.

These results indicate that TDCF is useful in guiding patient selection and operative treatment of ischemic MR and that in such patients, intraoperative TDCF should be performed routinely.

Aim The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine the rates of diabetes device use (insulin pump and continuous glucose monitor (CGM)) and association with glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes in a large, diverse pediatric center. Methods Demographic and clinical data were obtained from 1992 patients who met the eligibility criteria (age < 26 years, diabetes duration ≥ 1 year, and ≥1 clinic visit in the preceding 12 months). Statistical analyses assessed the likelihood of device use based on demographic characteristics and the association between device use and glycemic control based on most recent hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). Results Mean age was 13.8 ± 4.2 years, 50.7% were female, diabetes duration was 6.2 ± 4 years, and mean HbA1c was 8.7 ± 1.8%. Overall, 38.2% of patients were on pump therapy and 18.5% were on CGM. Patients who were non-Hispanic (NH) white, privately insured, and with primary English-speaking parent(s) had higher rates of insulin pump use, as well as CGM use (P < 0.001 for both). Female patients had higher rates of pump use only (P < 0.01). Private health insurance, NH white race/ethnicity, and CGM use were each associated with lower HbA1c (P = 0.03, <0.001, and <0.008, resp.). Conclusion At a large, diverse, pediatric diabetes center, disparities in diabetes device use were present across sex, race/ethnicity, health insurance coverage, and primary language of parent(s). CGM use was associated with lower HbA1c. Quality improvement efforts are underway to ensure improved access, education, and clinical programs for advanced diabetes devices for T1D patients.

The purpose of this article is to review new approaches to three-dimensional acquisition and presentation of echocardiographic data. New three-dimensional phased -array devices hold great promise for the development and application of new descriptors for left ventricular performance, myocardial perfusion, and other important indices of cardiac function. (ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY, Volume 8, January 1991) cardiac ultrasound, echocardiographyIt has long been desirable to acquire as much spatial anatomical data about the heart as possible. Two-dimensional echocardiography offered considerable advantages over M-mode echocardiography because of the ability to provide real-time tomographic images of the heart and it extended the ability of practitioners to make complex diagnostic decisions. In the beginning, there were questions by some whether two-dimensional approaches were worth the time and expense. Continued experience with these methods provided a n opportunity for clinicians to ask new questions. Similarly, threedimensional echocardiography appears to be a desirable goal as it would likely provide a method for deriving new anatomical, functional, and flow indices of the human heart. Two-Dimensional LimitationsDespite the obvious advantages of two-dimensional echocardiography methods over Mmode, serious limitations remain. Cardiac structures are spatially complex and a mental picture of the heart must be acquired from a