Usefulness Of Acoustic Cardiography In The Diagnosis Of Chronic Systolic Heart Failure

Background/Objective:In clinic, LVEF measured by echocardiography is the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of systolic heart failure, meanwhile plasma BNP>400pg/ml is considered to be a sensitive indicator of heart failure diagnosis and prognosis. However, when BNP is in "gray zone"(100—400pg/ml), the diagnostic sensitivity is reduced. The purpose of this study is to investigate the usage of acoustic cardiography in the diagnosis of chronic systolic heart failure.Methods:Between March2012and December2012,78patients from Department of Cardiology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine were enrolled in the study, including42patients with chronic congestive heart failure and the other36patients with normal heart function. We measured and compared the acoustic cardiography parameters in two groups including the Electromechanical Activation Time (EMAT), Left Ventricular Systolic Time (LVST) and the S3strength, compared the sensitivity and specificity of these parameters with serum BNP for chronic systolic heart failure.Results:In the group of chronic systolic heart failure, EMAT was much longer than that in the control group (118±19vs83±17ms, p<0.001), LVST was obviously shortened (319±44vs336±21ms, p<0.05), the S3strength was significantly increased (4.19±2.34vs3.04±0.94, p<0.05)and the detection rate of the S3was higher (31%vs11.1%, p<0.05). Sensitivity and specificity of EMAT for chronic systolic heart failure were97.6%and88.9%.,and for BNP in the gray zone were93.8%and88.9%. Sensitivity and specificity of S3for chronic systolic heart failure were31.0%and94.4%.Conclusions:Acoustic cardiography parameters including EMAT, LVST and the S3strength proved to be useful in diagnosing chronic systolic heart failure. EMAT(≥90ms) substantially improved the diagnostic evaluation of patients with BNP in the gray zone.