Acoustic cardiographic parameters and their relationship to invasive hemodynamic measurements in patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction.

Data obtained at cardiac catheterization were used to evaluate the utility of acoustic cardiographic data in assessing the hemodynamic abnormalities associated with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD). Thirty-seven patients (mean age, 62.6 years) underwent catheterization, and hemodynamic data were recorded. Acoustic cardiographic recordings were obtained using a system that records and algorithmically interprets diastolic heart sounds and parameters analogous to traditional systolic time intervals. Seventeen patients had LVSD (defined as ejection fraction <50%). The 17 patients with LVSD composed the cohort for analysis. There were strong associations between acoustic cardiographic parameters and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, ejection fraction, and maximum contractility. Heart rate tended to influence the strength of these correlations. The authors conclude that acoustic cardiographic data can be used in the evaluation of patients with known or suspected LVSD, and specifically in the selection of patients for cardiac resynchronization therapy and the optimization of the settings of implanted resynchronization devices.