• Remzi Yilmaz, Mehmet Gencer, Erkan Ceylan, and Recep Demirbag.
• Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Harran University, Sanliurfa, Turkey. drremziyilmaz@yahoo.com
• J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2005 Aug 1;18(8):873-81.

BackgroundThe effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) on right ventricular (RV) systolic and diastolic functions and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function have been shown. Whereas LV myocardial performance index (LVMPI), which incorporates ejection and isovolumic relaxation and contraction times and is an index of global ventricular function, has not yet been evaluated in COPD.MethodsOur study population consisted of 24 age-matched control subjects (group 1), 24 patients with COPD without pulmonary hypertension (group 2), and 20 patients with COPD with pulmonary hypertension (group 3). Pulmonary function tests, analyses of arterial blood gases, and transthoracic echocardiographic examination were performed. RV myocardial performance index (RVMPI) and LVMPI were obtained by pulsed wave Doppler tissue.ResultsRVMPI was higher in both group 2 (0.61 +/- 0.15) and group 3 (0.94 +/- 0.27) than group 1 (0.41 +/- 0.08) (P = .038 and P< .001, respectively), and was higher for group 3 than in group 2 (P = .018). LVMPI was higher for group 3 (0.77 +/- 0.25) than in both group 1 (0.49 +/- 0.08) and group 2 (0.59 +/- 0.10) (P = .001 and P = .037, respectively). However, difference between groups 1 and 2 was not significant (P > .05). For patients with COPD, LVMPI was positively correlated with age, heart rate, pulmonary arterial systolic pressure, RVMPI, and partial pressure of carbon dioxide, and negatively correlated with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, and partial pressure of oxygen. In multiple linear regression analysis (R2 = 0.676), LVMPI was independently associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (Beta = 0.549, P = .017), pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (Beta = 0.488, P = .014), and RVMPI (Beta = 0.278, P = .042).ConclusionsBoth LV systolic and diastolic functions are impaired in COPD, especially in patients with pulmonary hypertension. This impairment is independently associated with pulmonary arterial systolic pressure, RVMPI, and forced expiratory volume in 1 second.

27 keywords...

hide…