• S G Olmos-Temois, L E Santos-Martínez, R Álvarez-Álvarez, L G Gutiérrez-Delgado, and F M Baranda-Tovar.
• Departamento de Cuidados Intensivos Posquirúrgicos Cardiovasculares, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología «Ignacio Chávez», México D.F., México.
• Med Intensiva. 2016 Nov 1; 40 (8): 491-498.

Primary ObjectiveTo know the variability of transthoracic echocardiographic parameters that assess right ventricular systolic function by analyzing interobserver agreement in the early postoperative period of cardiovascular surgery.Secondary ObjectiveTo assess the feasibility of these echocardiographic measurements.DesignA cross-sectional study, double-blind pilot study was carried out from May 2011 to February 2013.SettingCardiovascular postoperative critical care at the National Institute of Cardiology "Ignacio Chávez", Mexico City, Mexico.PatientsConsecutive, non-probabilistic sampling. Fifty-six patients were studied in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery.InterventionThe first echocardiographic parameters were obtained between 6-8hours after cardiac surgery, followed by blinded second measurements.Main VariablesTricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), tricuspid annular peak systolic velocity on tissue Doppler imaging (VSPAT), diameters and right ventricular outflow area, tract fractional shortening. The agreement was analyzed by the Bland-Altman method, and its magnitude was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (95% confidence interval).ResultsBoth observers evaluated TAPSE and VSPAT in 48 patients (92%). The average TAPSE was 11.68±4.53mm (range 4-27mm). Right ventricular systolic dysfunction was observed in 41 cases (85%) and normal TAPSE in 7 patients (15%). The average difference and its limits according to TAPSE were -0.917±2.95 (-6.821, 4.988), with a magnitude of 0.725 (0.552, 0.837); the tricuspid annular peak systolic velocity on tissue Doppler imaging was -0.001±0.015 (-0.031, 0.030), and its magnitude 0.825 (0.708, 0.898), respectively.ConclusionsVSPAT and TAPSE were estimated by both observers in 92% of the patients, these parameters exhibiting the lowest interobserver variability.Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

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