Transthoracic echocardiogram measurements are found to be better at reflecting left ventricular (LV) remodeling that conventional LV dimensions. However, how LV volumes affect mortality in patients with chronic aortic regurgitation) is unknown. This study aims to investigate whether LV volumes and volume-derived LV ejection fraction (Vol-LVEF) are associated with mortality in patients with AR.
This cohort study included a total of 492 consecutive asymptomatic patients with chronic moderate to severe AR. The researchers analyzed the clinical and echocardiographic data and graded AR severity by a comprehensive, integrated approach. The primary outcome of the study was all-cause mortality under medical surveillance.
Of the 492 patients included in the study, ischemic heart disease prevalence was low with preserved linear LVEF. At a median, interquartile range of 5.4 years, 66 patients (13.4%) died under clinical surveillance. The overall survival was the same for the age- and the sex-matched general population. When separate multivariate models were adjusted for age, sex, and AR severity, LVESVi and Vol-LVEF were independently associated with mortality under surveillance.
The research concluded that in patients with chronic, thermodynamically significant AR, LVESVi, and Vol-LVEF were independently associated with mortality under surveillance, same as LVESDi and linear LVEF.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/article-abstract/2772324
