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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Age-related changes of diastolic left ventricular (LV) function consist of increased diastolic wall stiffness (reduced compliance) and diminished velocity and extent of relaxation. There is a shift of ventricular filling from early to late diastole. Atrial contribution to LV filling increases, which helps maintain stroke volume. In normal cardiovascular aging this diastolic dysfunction is compensated. However, the aging heart is sensitized against influences aggravating diastolic dysfunction such as arterial hypertension, LV hypertrophy, myocardial ischemia (coronary heart disease), tachycardias/ tachyarrhythmias. In diastolic heart failure LV is unable to fill adequately at normal diastolic pressures, resulting in symptoms of pulmonary congestion and, less often, low output despite normal LV size and contraction. Diastolic heart failure may be misinterpreted as systolic dysfunction and, eventually, treated in an unsuitable manner. In order to obtain data on the incidence of diastolic heart failure among inpatients of a department of geriatrics of a municipal hospital, the results of 253 patients undergoing echocardiography in the course of 1 year were analyzed. The investigations comprised 70 males and 183 females, aged 81.3 (61-98) years on average. In 164 cases, symptoms of heart failure were present. Only in 48 of them (29%) LV proved to be dilated. In the majority, LV size was normal (116 patients; 71%): systolic function was compromised in 53 cases, whereas 63 patients (38% of all cases with heart failure) had a normal systolic function. Most of the latter (48 patients) had diastolic dysfunction, whereas an adequate echocardiographic evaluation was not possible for technical reasons in the remaining 15 cases. It is highly probable, however, that they had diastolic LV dysfunction as well. Thus, the results show a high frequency of LV dysfunction in elderly inpatients, which underlines the importance of diastolic heart failure in this age group.
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PMID:[Underestimated--diastolic heart failure in elderly patients]. 876 18

Diastolic heart failure refers to a clinical syndrome characterised by symptoms and signs of congestive heart failure, with a normal or subnormal left ventricular (LV) systolic function associated with alterations in LV diastolic function. Diastolic dysfunction is a pathological condition during which the LV is unable to accept a volume of blood coming back from the lungs appropriate to maintain its stroke volume under normal filling pressure. Three eventually associated mechanisms are responsible for such dysfunction: impaired LV relaxation, increased LV stiffness and loss of normal atrial function. Prevention of LV hypertrophic remodelling should decrease the incidence of diastolic heart failure.
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PMID:Diastolic heart failure: old story, new concepts. 1457 43

Diastolic heart failure (DHF) has different underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms. We sought to compare hemodynamic characteristics in DHF patients with or without hypertension. A conductance catheter with microtip-manometer was used to measure left ventricular (LV) function and hemodynamics in 28 DHF patients. After baseline measurements, nitroglycerin was infused to alter the loading condition and the measurements were repeated. At baseline, end-systolic pressure was higher and the time constant of LV relaxation (tau) was longer in hypertensive DHF patients. Patients in hypertensive DHF had lower LV-arterial coupling ratio than those in non-hypertensive DHF. The peak of loading sequence was in early systole in non-hypertensive DHF patients and in late systole in hypertensive DHF patients. Nitroglycerin decreased LV end-systolic pressure and end-diastolic volume in both groups. In non-hypertensive DHF, nitroglycerin significantly reduced stroke volume and shortened tau (59+/-11 vs. 54+/-10 ms, p<0.05) without any changes in the time to peak LV force, effective arterial elastance (E(a)), or LV-arterial coupling ratio. In contrast, in hypertensive DHF patients, nitroglycerin significantly reduced E(a) and shortened the time to peak LV force, resulting in an improved LV-arterial coupling ratio, preserved stroke volume and shortened tau (75+/-14 vs. 62+/-13 ms, p<0.05). In conclusion, LV relaxation was more prolonged in hypertensive DHF patients than non-hypertensive DHF patients, partly because of the different loading sequence. Changing the loading condition by nitroglycerin improved LV systolic and diastolic function in hypertensive DHF patients.
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PMID:Hemodynamic characteristics of patients with diastolic heart failure and hypertension. 1897 51

Echocardiography with Doppler is the most commonly performed non-invasive cardiac imaging test in patients with suspected or documented heart failure (HF), and plays a pivotal role in their assessment and management. Two- and three-dimensional echocardiography are commonly used to quantitatively assess cardiac volumes, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), stroke volume and cardiac output. Resting and stress echocardiography the latter with exercise or pharmacologic stress play a fundamental role in distinguishing ischemic from non-ischemic etiology of HF and in demonstrating myocardial viability. Echocar-diography with comprehensive spectral and color Doppler can accurately determine if valve disease plays a primary or secondary role in HF etiology. Diastolic heart failure (DHF) also termed HF with a preserved LVEF is readily identified by echocardiography with Doppler, and can accurately estimated LV filling pressures and pulmonary artery pressures. The right ventricle can also be readily assessed by echocardiography, with newer techniques such as three-dimensional, tissue Doppler and speckle strain imaging aiding its assessment. Echocardiography is also commonly used to identify candidates for implantable cardiac defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapies. Three-dimensional echocardiography now easily preformed with single-beat full volume capture promises to further refine HF diagnosis. Finally, speckle-based strain and strain rate, and three-dimensional speckle imaging, are more novel techniques that can shed light on detailed myocardial mechanics in patients with depressed or preserved LVEF.
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PMID:Echocardiography in the assessment of heart failure. 1976 68

A nuclear cardiology test is the most commonly performed non-invasive cardiac imaging test in patients with heart failure, and it plays a pivotal role in their assessment and management. Quantitative gated single positron emission computed tomography (QGS) is used to assess quantitatively cardiac volume, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), stroke volume, and cardiac diastolic function. Resting and stress myocardial perfusion imaging, with exercise or pharmacologic stress, plays a fundamental role in distinguishing ischemic from non-ischemic etiology of heart failure, and in demonstrating myocardial viability. Diastolic heart failure also termed as heart failure with a preserved LVEF is readily identified by nuclear cardiology techniques and can accurately be estimated by peak filling rate (PFR) and time to PFR. Movement of the left ventricle can also be readily assessed by QGS, with newer techniques such as three-dimensional, wall thickening evaluation aiding its assessment. Myocardial perfusion imaging is also commonly used to identify candidates for implantable cardiac defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapies. Neurotransmitter imaging using (123)I-metaiodobenzylguanidine offers prognostic information in patients with heart failure. Metabolism and function in the heart are closely related, and energy substrate metabolism is a potential target of medical therapies to improve cardiac function in patients with heart failure. Cardiac metabolic imaging using (123)I-15-(p-iodophenyl)3-R, S-methylpentadecacoic acid is a commonly used tracer in clinical studies to diagnose metabolic heart failure. Nuclear cardiology tests, including neurotransmitter imaging and metabolic imaging, are now easily preformed with new tracers to refine heart failure diagnosis. Nuclear cardiology studies contribute significantly to guiding management decisions for identifying cardiac risk in patients with heart failure.
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PMID:Clinical use of nuclear cardiology in the assessment of heart failure. 2116 Jun 12