Echocardiographic abnormalities in patients with COPD at their first hospital admission

Abstract

on behalf of the PAC-COPD Study Investigators # ABSTRACT: Cardiovascular disease accounts for significant morbidity and mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Its prevalence and mechanisms of association have not been elucidated. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of echocardiographic abnormalities and potential risk factors in patients with COPD at their first exacerbation requiring hospital admission.Transthoracic echocardiography was prospectively performed in 342 patients (forced expiratory volume in 1 s 52¡16% predicted) 3 months after discharge.Significant cardiac alterations were present in 64% of patients; 27% left-and 48% right-heart disorders. The most common were right ventricle enlargement (30%) and pulmonary hypertension (19%). Left ventricle enlargement was present in 6%, left ventricle systolic dysfunction in 13%, left ventricle diastolic impairment in 12% and left atrial dilatation in 29%. Echocardiographic abnormalities were unrelated to COPD severity and were more frequent in patients with selfreported cardiac disease. They were also observed in 63% of patients with no known cardiac disease or cardiovascular risk factors other than smoking.We conclude that cardiac abnormalities are highly prevalent in COPD patients at the time of their first severe exacerbation, even in the absence of established cardiac disease or cardiovascular risk factors. Considering the prognostic and therapeutic implications of cardiac comorbidity, echocardiography should be considered in the assessment of patients with clinically significant COPD.

Comorbidities of COPD

“…Significant cardiac alterations were present in 64% of patients: 27% left-and/or 48% right-heart disorders. In 63% of these patients, cardiac disease was not known [32].…”

Echocardiography does not predict mortality in hemodynamically stable elderly patients with acute pulmonary embolism

“…First, only 33% of patients who died during follow-up died from definite/possible PE, indicating that short-term prognosis of elderly patients with acute PE may be more often driven by 13 comorbidities than by PE-related RV dysfunction. RV dysfunction may also reflect cardiac and pulmonary diseases rather than severity of PE in the elderly [31,32].…”

Perfil Demográfico E Clínico De Portadores De Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crónica No Sul Do Brasil

“…As doenças coronarianas e DPOC são ambas as doenças inflamatórias e envolvem anomalias da coagulação onde a presença da DPOC pode contribuir para o desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares através da dispneia, inflamação sistêmi-ca e stress oxidativo (8). Um estudo recente com 342 portadores de DPOC onde três meses após a primeira exacerbação 64% destes tinham alterações cardíacas significativas avaliadas por ecografia transtorácica, porém no presente estudo foi encontrado que 17% dos homens eram cardiopatas em 5,5 % das mulheres (15).…”