1 From the Sections of Cardiology and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Medical Center, New Haven, Connecticut.
Three serial determinations of left ventricular function were performed by echocardiographic techniques in ten patients undergoing aortocoronary saphenous vein grafting for occlusive coronary artery disease. There were significant increases in maximum posterior wall velocity, mean posterior wall velocity, amplitude of left ventricular wall excursion, and ejection fraction when the preoperative values were compared with those obtained one week and six weeks after surgery. Improvements in these indices seemed independent of heart rate and blood pressure and, therefore, probably reflected an improvement in ventricular function attributable to surgery. These data, of course, must be interpreted with care in patients with coronary artery disease who may have asynchronous ventricular contraction. The findings in this paper support previously reported data showing enhancement of ventricular function following aortocoronary saphenous vein grafting and provide a means for the serial evaluation of large numbers of patients by noninvasive techniques.
© 1973 American Heart Association, Inc.
Ultrasound Assessment of Left Ventricular Function Following Aortocoronary Saphenous Vein Bypass Grafting
Key Words: Coronary artery disease • Echocardiography • Ejection fraction • Noninvasive techniques