To estimate left ventricular filling pressure using Doppler echocardiography according to American Society of Echocardiography guidelines in NYHA classes III - IV heart failure patients with an ejection fraction ≤ 40%. | Journal of military pharmaco-medicine n08-2018 EVALUATION OF LEFT VENTRICULAR FILLING PRESSURE USING DOPPLER ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY IN SEVERE HEART FAILURE PATIENTS WITH REDUCED EJECTION FRACTION Le Thi Bich Van1; Pham Nguyen Vinh2 SUMMARY Objectives: To estimate left ventricular filling pressure using Doppler echocardiography according to American Society of Echocardiography guidelines in NYHA classes III - IV heart failure patients with an ejection fraction ≤ 40%. Subjects and methods: A descriptive crosssectional study on 101 patients with NYHA class III - IV severe chronic heart failure with an ejection fraction ≤ 40%, from April 2016 to June 2018 at Hochiminh City Heart Institute. Left ventricular filling pressure was estimated using 5 Doppler echocardiographic parameters, including peak E-wave velocity, mean E/A ratio, mean E/e’ ratio, mean peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity and mean left atrial volume index. Results: We have identified 83 patients () with elevated left ventricular filling pressure and 18 patients with normal left ventricular filling pressure (). Peak E-wave velocity = ± cm/s; mean E/A ratio = ± ; mean E/e’ ratio = ± ; peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity > m/s () and mean 2 (left atrial) volume index > 34 mL/m (96%). We recognized that an E-wave deceleration time ≤ 125 ms, which accounted for over 50% () of patients in the ejection fraction ≤ 30% and was statistically higher than 30% of patients having ejection fraction ≤ 40% () (p = ). Only of patients had mean E/e’ ratio > 14, while of patients were shown to have elevated left ventricular filling pressure after integrating 5 echocardiographic parameters. Diastolic dysfunction grade I, II and III group each accounted for , and of patients, respectively. As for the left ventricular filling pressure group, more than half of them () had diastolic dysfunction grade III. Conclusion: By integrating these
