Value Of The Left Atrial Function Index For Assessing Left Heart Function In Patients With Essentienal Hypertension

Background The importance of left atrial function to overall cardiacperformance in the diseased heart has been considered previously. The left atrium mayserve as a conduit for the passage of blood from the pulmonary veins to the leftventricle during early left ventricular filling, as a reservoir for storing blood duringleft ventricular systole, and as a contractile chamber for augmentation of leftventricular filling. Understanding each of these functions and the contribution of theleft atrium to left ventricular function in normal and diseased hearts is important.There is no single measure to evaluate atrial function and several traditionalparameters are rhythm dependent. The left atrial function index is a rhythmindependent measure of atrial function that additionally incorporates an analogue ofcardiac output and BSA. The LAFI accentuates differences between groups ascompared to traditional parameters of atrial function.Objective To evaluate the left atrial function with the left atrial functionindex in patients with essentienal hypertension using echocardiography.Methods Sixty hypertensive patients and 31 normal controls were selected.The high, weight, diameter of left atrium (LAD), mitral annular motion velocity (Ea,Aa) and the outflow tract velocity time integral (LVOT-VTI) were measured, and theEa/Aa was calculated. Maximal LA volume (LAESV), left atrial ejection fraction(LAEF) were measured using the biplane method of discs, and left atrial strokevolume (LASV) and left atrial function index (LAFI) were calculated.Results The LAFI in the hypertensive patients group was depressed whencompared with normal controls. Among hypertensive patients, the LAFI of thosehaving the larger LAD is lower than those having the normal LAD. A linearregression analysis showed LAFI correlated well with Ea, Ea/Aa, LAEF; LAFI negatively correlated with LAD and LASV.Conclusion The left atrial function index (LAFI) depresses in hypertensivepatients, LAFI is a significant indicator in detecting the left atrial function.