Relationship between the strain measures of left atrial function and
heart failure worsening
Abstract
Background. Two-dimensional speckle tracking evaluation
(2D-STE) is a useful tool to evaluate the complexity of atrial function
by the analysis of the different phases of atrial deformation and by the
combination with Doppler measurements of diastolic function. Aim
of the study. To evaluate the role of the left atrial (LA) strain
parameters to predict worsening chronic heart failure (CHF).
Methods. We enrolled outpatients affected by CHF referred to
our heart failure unit. Each patient underwent a medical visit, an
electrocardiogram (ECG), and an echocardiographic examination. LA
function was assessed by 2D-STE. The three phases of LA strain – i.e.
the reservoir (LAr), the conduit (LAcd), and the contraction (LAct) –
were evaluated. Moreover, the ratio between LAr and that of septal
(LAr/Ees), lateral (LAr/Eel), and septal-lateral (LAr/Eem) E/e’ were
evaluated. During follow-up, the worsening of heart failure was
evaluated. Results. Two hundred twenty-eight patients were
enrolled. During a mean follow-up of 14±7 months, 47 patients showed at
least one event related to heart failure worsening (40 hospitalisations,
5 heart transplantations, and 19 cardiovascular deaths). During
univariate Cox regression analysis, LAr, LAcd, LAct, LAr/Ees, LAr/Eel,
and LAr/Eem were all associated with events related to heart failure
worsening, but during multivariate regression analysis, only LAr (HR:
0.94; 95% CI: 0.91–0.98; p: 0.007), LAr/Ees (HR: 0.49; 95% CI:
0.30–0.78; p: 0.002), and LAr/Eem (HR: 0.65; 95% CI: 0.47–0.89; p:
0.008) remained significantly associated with the events. Finally,
LASr/Ee’s showed accuracy in predicting outcomes greater than LASr
(C-index 0.78 vs. 0.72, respectively). Conclusions. In CHF
patients, the measure of the LA reservoir by 2D-STE is independently
associated with heart failure worsening, but the accuracy in predicting
the events is even greater when the reservoir is combined with the
Doppler measures of diastolic function.