Reliability of updated left ventricular diastolic function recommendations in predicting elevated left ventricular filling pressure and prognosis

New Diastology Guidelines: Evolution, Validation and Impact on Clinical Practice

The 2016 American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Echocardiography (ASE/EACVI) guidelines on the assessment of diastolic function sought to simplify the assessment of diastolic function by recommending a streamlined, stepped approach with a focus on four key variables. Haemodynamic validation using simultaneous cardiac catheterisation and echocardiographic assessment of diastolic function have shown robust prediction of left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP) using the streamlined 2016 algorithms, with favourable comparisons to the 2009 guidelines. Similarly, prognostic validation data demonstrates that the 2016 algorithms are easier to implement in clinical practice, have superior inter-observer reliability across a broad range of observer experience, and are better at predicting clinical outcomes. Furthermore, published data show improved classification of clinical heart failure patients. However, increased specificity of the updated 2016 guidelines results in a lower prevalence of diastolic dysfunction compared to the 2009 recommendations. Further refinement of guidelines for the identification and diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction is possible through incorporation of new diastolic parameters.

Echocardiographic evaluation of diastolic function in the setting of pulmonary hypertension

Heart failure due to diastolic dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension are frequent comorbid conditions with significant morbidity and mortality. Identifying the presence and etiology of diastolic dysfunction in the setting of pulmonary hypertension remains challenging despite profound therapeutic and prognostic implications. Additionally, there is little guidance in identifying and parsing etiology of diastolic dysfunction in patients found to have pulmonary hypertension. This review discusses the complex interplay between left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. With an explicit focus on the use of echocardiography for determination of diastolic dysfunction and etiology of pulmonary hypertension, this review also provides a comprehensive review of the literature and provides a framework by which to assess diastolic dysfunction echocardiographically in the setting of pulmonary hypertension.

Decision support for assessment of left ventricular diastolic function

Echocardiographic assessment of the left ventricular diastolic function (LVDF), an integrated part of evaluation of left ventricular function is still a delicate task and is performed with substantial inter-rater variability. Therefore, we aimed to create and evaluate a guidelines-based automated decision support. An algorithm was created for a hierarchical analysis of LVDF based on variables as recommended by the latest guidelines. Age-adjusted normal ranges were pooled from previously published studies into an integrated reference table. For proof-of-concept, 20 echocardiographic examinations were analyzed offline by four experienced physicians with more than 10 years of echocardiographic experience. The first assessments were to be performed as they would be in the clinical practice. Six months later, the assessments were repeated based on the 2017 ASE/EACVI guidelines. The overall inter-rater agreement for the first clinical assessments was moderate, while the guidelines-based assessments had only fair inter-rater agreement. Both kinds of manual assessment had poor agreement with the standardized automated assessment algorithm of LVDF. In conclusion, the presented automated decision support for evaluation of diastolic LV function by Doppler echocardiography is mainly based on current guidelines involving multiple parameters in combination. Incorporating age dependency aspects in our program (available for use at https://liu.se/en/research/left-ventricular-diastolic-function-decision-support) enhances the accuracy of the evaluation and reduces variability in evaluation of LVDF. The large inter-rater variation in classification in this study also underscores the usefulness of tools to support a standardized evaluation.

Mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and diastolic dysfunction

INTRODUCTION

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) continues to be a major challenge for clinicians. Many crucial aspects of the syndrome remain unclear, including the exact pathophysiology, early diagnosis, and treatment. Patients with HFpEF are often asymptomatic late into the disease process, and treatment with medications commonly used in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) has not been proven to be beneficial. In addition, the confusion of similar terms with HFpEF, such as diastolic heart failure, and diastolic dysfunction (DD), has led to a misunderstanding of the true scope of HFpEF. Areas covered: In this review, authors highlight the differences in terminology and critically review the current knowledge on the underlying mechanisms, diagnosis, and latest treatment strategies of HFpEF. Expert commentary: While significant advances have been made in the understanding of HFpEF, the definitive diagnosis of HFpEF continues to be difficult. The development of improved and standardized methods for detecting DD has shown promise in identifying early HFpEF. However, even with early detection, there are few treatment options shown to provide mortality benefit warranting further investigation.

Correlation with invasive left ventricular filling pressures and prognostic relevance of the echocardiographic diastolic parameters used in the 2016 ESC heart failure guidelines and in the 2016 ASE/EACVI recommendations: a systematic review in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

AIMS

Five echocardiographic parameters-left atrial volume index, left ventricular mass index, tricuspid regurgitation velocity, myocardial tissue velocity, and the ratio of early mitral inflow to tissue velocity of the mitral annulus (E/e')-are recommended in both the current European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines and the American Society of Echocardiography/European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging recommendations for the evaluation of left ventricular diastolic function. We aimed to perform a systematic review of these echocardiographic parameters at resting conditions for their correlation with left ventricular filling pressures in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). In addition, the prognostic value of these parameters was assessed.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Nine studies reported the correlation between echocardiography and invasive haemodynamics, and 18 papers reported on the prognostic value of echocardiography in HFpEF. Among the parameters, most data were reported for E/e'. The pooled correlation coefficient r was 0.56 for the relation between E/e' and invasively measured filling pressures. Combined weighted-mean meta-analysis of prognostic studies resulted in a hazard ratio of 1.05 (95% confidence interval 1.03-1.06) per unit increase in E/e' for the combined outcome of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular hospitalization. The other echocardiographic parameters, when taken individually, had similar or lower association with prognosis.

CONCLUSION

Only a small number of studies validated the use of echocardiographic parameters at rest in patients with HFpEF. The best established parameter appears to be E/e', but the existing data only show modest correlations of E/e' with invasive filling pressures and outcomes in HFpEF.

Impact of left ventricular diastolic function and survival in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement

In year 2016, the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) updated Recommendations for the assessment and grading of diastolic dysfunction (DD). We aimed to assess the applicability of this DD grading method and its association with prognosis in patients with severe aortic stenosis (AS) who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). We retrospectively identified 237 consecutive patients with severe AS who underwent trans-femoral TAVI. Baseline transthoracic echocardiography was evaluated to assess pre- and post-TAVI diastolic function according to the current ASE/EACVI Recommendations. Prior to TAVI, 41 (17%) patients were diagnosed as having grade I DD, 111 (47%) patients had grade II DD, 80 (34%) had grade III DD. DD grade after TAVI decreased (p < 0.001) with 75 patients (32%) reclassified to a lower DD grade. During the median follow-up of 1,320 days, 136 (57%) patients died. In univariable Cox proportional hazards model analysis, neither pre- nor post-TAVI DD grade were associated with prognosis. However, patients with grade III DD detected before TAVI and AR≥ 2 after TAVI had poorer survival (p<0.008). Patients with grade III DD detected after TAVI and AR≥ 2 after TAVI had poorer prognosis (p = 0.002). TAVI improves DD grade. While poor DD grade was not associated with mortality after treatment of AS by TAVI, concomitant presence of DD and post-procedural AR carried a poor prognosis.

Echocardiographic risk markers of sudden death in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Patients with epilepsy (PWE) have an increased risk for sudden unexpected death compared to the general population. Echocardiography can analyze structural and functional heart changes that have impact on outcomes, including sudden cardiac and all-cause death. Our hypothesis is that subtle heart abnormalities occur in PWE. Thirty patients with temporal lobe epilepsy without any known cardiovascular disease, followed for at least 1 year, were enrolled between July 2015 and July 2016 and submitted to a 12-lead electrocardiogram, treadmill test and transthoracic echocardiogram. PWE were matched with individuals without epilepsy by sex, age and body mass index. A literature review of studies comparing echocardiographic findings in PWE and individuals without epilepsy was performed. PWE had a higher left ventricle stiffness (β= 5.97 ± 0.05 × 5.94 ± 0.03; p = 0.02), left ventricle filling pressures (9.7 ± 1.3 mmHg × 9 ± 0.8; p = 0.02) and a greater left atrial volume (44.7 ± 13.6 ml × 34.1 ± 9.6 ml; p = 0.003). Seventeen (56.6%) PWE had a total of 22 of six known echocardiographic markers related to increased risk for sudden death in the general population, versus 11 (36.7%) controls with 12 markers (p = 0.07). Stiffness is related to fibrosis through extracellular matrix deposition, which promotes systolic and diastolic dysfunction and arrhythmogenesis. Subtle echocardiographic findings in PWE could help to explain why this population has an increased risk to die suddenly.

Early Diagnosis of Cardiovascular Diseases in Workers: Role of Standard and Advanced Echocardiography

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) still remains the main cause of morbidity and mortality and consequently early diagnosis is of paramount importance. Working conditions can be regarded as an additional risk factor for CVD. Since different aspects of the job may affect vascular health differently, it is important to consider occupation from multiple perspectives to better assess occupational impacts on health. Standard echocardiography has several targets in the cardiac population, as the assessment of myocardial performance, valvular and/or congenital heart disease, and hemodynamics. Three-dimensional echocardiography gained attention recently as a viable clinical tool in assessing left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) function, volume, and shape. Two-dimensional (2DSTE) and, more recently, three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) have also emerged as methods for detection of global and regional myocardial dysfunction in various cardiovascular diseases and applied to the diagnosis of subtle LV and RV dysfunction. Although these novel echocardiographic imaging modalities have advanced our understanding of LV and RV mechanics, overlapping patterns often show challenges that limit their clinical utility. This review will describe the current state of standard and advanced echocardiography in early detection (secondary prevention) of CVD and address future directions for this potentially important diagnostic strategy.