Vector velocity imaging echocardiography to study the effects of submassive pulmonary embolism on the right atrium.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of submassive pulmonary embolism (SMPE) on right atrial (RA) anatomy and function. BACKGROUND: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is associated with adverse outcomes in SMPE. However, the effects of SMPE on the structure and function of the RA have received much less attention. METHODS: Fifty patients with SMPE documented by CT angiography (SMPE group) and evidence of RVD on two-dimensional echocardiography were retrospectively identified and compared to 50 controls (control group). Both RA and RV areas, volumes and fractional area change (FAC) were measured. Pulmonary artery systolic pressures were estimated. RA and RV longitudinal strains were obtained using vector velocity imaging (VVI). RESULTS: Compared with controls, RA and RV FACs were significantly reduced and associated with higher chamber volumes in the SMPE group. Global longitudinal RA strain was reduced in the SMPE group (29% + 11% vs 55% + 16%; P < .01), as was global RV longitudinal strain (-12% + 5% vs -20% + 5%, P < .01), when compared to the controls. A linear relationship existed between RV and RA strain in both groups; however, the curve was shifted downward among those with SMPE. Furthermore, ROC curve analysis suggests RA area performs better than RV area as a marker of SMPE. CONCLUSIONS: RA structure and function are adversely affected in SMPE, similar to the effects observed in RV. Lower RA strain appears to be a novel quantitative indicator of SMPE, and RA area may be a more sensitive marker of this condition and may provide additional prognostic information in this condition.

Oncologic Mechanical Emergencies.

Prevalence of cancer and its various related complications continues to rise. Increasingly these life-threatening complications are initially managed in the emergency department, making a prompt and accurate diagnosis crucial to effectively institute the proper treatment and establish goals of care. The following oncologic emergencies are reviewed in this article: pericardial tamponade, superior vena cava syndrome, brain metastasis, malignant spinal cord compression, and hyperviscosity syndrome.

A clinic-based study of refractive errors, strabismus, and amblyopia in pediatric age-group.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this cross-sectional observational study was to determine the distribution and patterns of refractive errors, strabismus, and amblyopia in children seen at a pediatric eye care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted in a Private Hospital in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from March to July 2013. During this period, a total of 1350 children, aged 1-15 years were seen at this Center's Pediatric Ophthalmology Unit. All the children underwent complete ophthalmic examination with cycloplegic refraction. RESULTS: Refractive errors accounted for 44.4% of the cases, the predominant refractive error being hypermetropia which represented 83%. Strabismus and amblyopia were present in 38% and 9.1% of children, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this clinic-based study, the focus was on the frequency of refractive errors, strabismus, and amblyopia which were considerably high. Hypermetropia was the predominant refractive error in contrast to other studies in which myopia was more common. This could be attributed to the criteria for sample selection since it was clinic-based rather than a population-based study. However, it is important to promote public education on the significance of early detection of refractive errors, and have periodic screening in schools.

Oncologic mechanical emergencies.

Prevalence of cancer and its various related complications continues to rise. Increasingly these life-threatening complications are initially managed in the emergency department, making a prompt and accurate diagnosis crucial to effectively institute the proper treatment and establish goals of care. The following oncologic emergencies are reviewed in this article: pericardial tamponade, superior vena cava syndrome, brain metastasis, malignant spinal cord compression, and hyperviscosity syndrome.

Clinical profile and underdiagnosis of pulmonary hypertension in US veteran patients.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a key contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and early mortality; however, reports are lacking on the epidemiology of PH in at-risk patient populations. METHODS AND RESULTS: The echocardiography registries from 2 major Veterans Affairs hospitals were accessed to identify patients with at least moderate PH, defined here as a pulmonary artery systolic pressure ≥60 mm Hg detected echocardiographically. From a total of 10 471 individual patient transthoracic echocardiograms, we identified moderate or severe PH in 340 patients (332 men; mean, 77 years; mean pulmonary artery systolic pressure, 69.4±10.5 mm Hg), of which PH was listed as a diagnosis in the medical record for only 59 (17.3%). At a mean of 832 days (0-4817 days) following echocardiography diagnosing PH, 150 (44.1%) patients were deceased. PH was present without substantial left heart remodeling: the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.50±0.16, left ventricular end-diastolic dimension was 5.0±0.9 cm, and left atrial dimension was 4.4±0.7 cm. Cardiac catheterization (n=122, 36%) demonstrated a mean pulmonary artery pressure of 40.5±11.4 mm Hg, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure of 22.6±8.9 mm Hg, and pulmonary vascular resistance of 4.6±2.9 Wood units. Diagnostic strategies for PH were variable and often incomplete; for example, only 16% of appropriate patients were assessed with a nuclear ventilation/perfusion scan for thromboembolic causes of PH. CONCLUSIONS: in an at-risk patient population, PH is underdiagnosed and associated with substantial mortality. Enhanced awareness is necessary among practitioners regarding contemporary PH diagnostic strategies.

Depressed atrial function in diastolic dysfunction: a speckle tracking imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Two-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (STI) has recently been applied to the study of left atrial (LA) reservoir function. We utilized STI to analyze LA function in diastolic dysfunction (DD), hypothesizing that LA strain abnormality is part of the pathogenesis of diastolic dysfunction. METHODS: We applied STI to 50 patients with Grade 1-2 DD, comparing these results to 100 normal controls. Complete Doppler analysis of filling was made using peak E, peak A and tissue Doppler e' velocities; E/e' was used as a surrogate for LA pressure and LA stiffness index was calculated. RESULTS: In analysis of covariance, adjusting for age and gender, compared with controls, DD patients had higher E/e', greater LA volume and greater LA stiffness, but lower E/A ratio and global LA strain. LA strain appears to be inversely related to LA volume, but not to other indices of LV diastolic function. In subgroup analysis, LA strain was significantly lower, and stiffness significantly higher in DD, even after correction for differences in LA volume and E/A ratio. Analysis of ROC curves suggests that abnormal LA strain is a better marker for diastolic dysfunction than LA enlargement. CONCLUSION: LA strain by STI is significantly reduced in early diastolic dysfunction and is related to higher LA stiffness and LA size. Reduction in LA strain is partially independent of LA volume; accordingly we hypothesize that reduced atrial strain indicates impaired atrial distensibility.

Speckle echocardiographic left atrial strain and stiffness index as predictors of maintenance of sinus rhythm after cardioversion for atrial fibrillation: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Echocardiographic left atrial (LA) strain parameters have been associated with atrial fibrillation (AF) in prior studies. Our goal was to determine if strain measures [peak systolic longitudinal strain (LAS) and stiffness index (LASt)] changed after cardioversion (CV); and their relation to AF recurrence. METHODS AND RESULTS: 46 participants with persistent AF and 41 age-matched participants with no AF were recruited. LAS and LASt were measured before and immediately after CV using 2D speckle tracking imaging (2DSI). Maintenance of sinus rhythm was assessed over a 6-month follow up. Mean LAS was lower, and mean LASt higher, in participants with AF before CV as compared to control group (11.9±1.0 vs 35.7±1.7, p<0.01 and 1.31±0.17 vs 0.23±0.01, p<0.01, respectively). There was an increase in the mean LAS immediately after CV (11.9±1.0 vs 15.9±1.3, p<0.01), whereas mean LASt did not change significantly after CV (p=0.62). Although neither LAS nor LASt were independently associated with AF recurrence during the follow-up period, change in LAS after cardioversion (post-CV LAS-pre-CV LAS) was significantly higher among individuals who remained in sinus rhythm when compared to individuals with recurrent AF (3.6±1.1 vs 0.4±0.8, p=0.02). CONCLUSIONS: LAS and LASt differed between participants with and without AF, irrespective of the rhythm at the time of echocardiographic assessment. Baseline LAS and LASt were not associated with AF recurrence. However, change in LAS after CV may be a useful predictor of recurrent arrhythmia.

Cardiac ultrasound imaging in heart failure: recent advances.

Several new imaging modalities are being utilized in the management of heart failure. Echocardiography and speckle tracking imaging offer clinician the benefits of easy accessibility, real time data interpretation and objective quantification of heart function. Accordingly, this article reviews the current evidence base related to the use of echocardiography and other advanced ultrasonography techniques in heart failure, and discusses applications as well as limitations of these emerging technologies. The role of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and implications of the PROSPECT (Predictors of Response to CRT) trial in management of heart failure are also reviewed. The article concludes with a discussion about the evolving role of echocardiography in diagnosis and management of subclinical heart disease, so that preventive strategies may be devised.