Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography : official publication of the American Society of Echocardiography
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Oct 2013
Noninvasive assessment of vascular function and hydraulic power and efficiency in pediatric Fontan patients.
Invasive studies have shown that children with Fontan palliation have abnormal arterial stiffness, impedance, and hydraulic power and efficiency. The aim of this study was to assess these indexes noninvasively in a cohort of children with Fontan circulation using Doppler echocardiography and compare their results with those of healthy peers. ⋯ Despite stiffer aortas, Fontan patients generate more hydraulic power associated with decreased ventricular function to achieve a similar hydraulic efficiency. In Fontan patients, therapy that is given to improve ventricular function may need to target vascular stiffness as well. This technique may be used to monitor the efficacy of therapeutic interventions.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Oct 2013
Feasibility and reproducibility of systolic right ventricular strain measurement by speckle-tracking echocardiography in premature infants.
Right ventricular (RV) systolic function is an important prognostic determinant of cardiopulmonary pathologies in premature infants. Measurements of dominant RV longitudinal deformation are likely to provide a sensitive measure of RV function. An approach for image acquisition and postacquisition processing is needed for reliable and reproducible measurements of myocardial deformation by two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography. The aims of this study were to determine the feasibility and reproducibility of 2D speckle-tracking echocardiographic measurement of RV peak global longitudinal strain (pGLS) and peak global longitudinal strain rate in premature infants and to establish methods for acquiring and analyzing strain. ⋯ This study demonstrates high clinical feasibility and reproducibility of RV pGLS and RV peak global longitudinal strain rate measurements by 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography in premature infants and offers methods for image acquisition and data analysis for systolic strain imaging that can provide a reliable assessment of global RV function.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Oct 2013
The echocardiography "boot camp": a novel approach in pediatric cardiovascular imaging education.
Dynamic training schedules introduce novel challenges to medical specialty training programs that require manual dexterity. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a 3-day, intensive pediatric echocardiography course ("boot camp") on trainee self-efficacy and on the acquisition and short-term retention of basic echocardiographic knowledge and skills for first-year pediatric cardiology fellows (CFs). ⋯ The echocardiography boot camp improves self-efficacy in performing an echocardiographic examination and the acquisition and short-term retention of skills and knowledge required to perform pediatric echocardiography.
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J Am Soc Echocardiogr · Oct 2013
In patients with post-infarction left ventricular dysfunction, how does impaired basal rotation affect chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation?
The aim of this study was to explore the contribution of left ventricular (LV) basal rotation to the mechanism of chronic ischemic mitral regurgitation (MR). ⋯ Impaired basal rotational mechanics occurring after an inferior-posterior myocardial infarction is associated with increased MR.