Pressure-volume relationships in pediatric systolic and diastolic heart failure.

The left ventricular pressure-volume relationship has been used to examine ventricular systolic and diastolic function as well as to evaluate myocardial energetics and ventricular-vascular coupling. Preload, afterload and contractility can be separately examined using indices derived from simultaneous pressure and volume measurement. Due to the development of new instrumentation and diagnostic tools, these techniques now can be more readily applied to the evaluation of patients in heart failure. Indices of function can be examined on-line during diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Pharmacologic interventions can be evaluated using these methods, allowing for assessment of therapeutic interventions. Medical therapy can be optimized during these studies, allowing more effective and individualized treatment.