1. Prevalence of left heart contrast in healthy, young, asymptomatic humans at rest breathing room air
- Author
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Jerold A. Hawn, Igor M. Gladstone, Randall D. Goodman, Steven S. Laurie, Jonathan E. Elliott, S. Milind Nigam, Andrew T. Lovering, Kara M. Beasley, and Mark S. Chesnutt
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,Physiology ,Health Status ,Heart Ventricles ,Rest ,medicine.medical_treatment ,Right-to-left shunt ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Respiratory physiology ,Asymptomatic ,Young Adult ,Internal medicine ,medicine.artery ,Prevalence ,medicine ,Humans ,Contrast (vision) ,Saline ,Retrospective Studies ,Asymptomatic Diseases ,media_common ,business.industry ,Air ,Respiration ,General Neuroscience ,medicine.disease ,Echocardiography ,Respiratory Mechanics ,Breathing ,Cardiology ,Patent foramen ovale ,Female ,medicine.symptom ,business - Abstract
Our purpose was to report the prevalence of healthy, young, asymptomatic humans who demonstrate left heart contrast at rest, breathing room air. We evaluated 176 subjects (18-41 years old) using transthoracic saline contrast echocardiography. Left heart contrast appearing ≤3 cardiac cycles, consistent with a patent foramen ovale (PFO), was detected in 67 (38%) subjects. Left heart contrast appearing >3 cardiac cycles, consistent with the transpulmonary passage of contrast, was detected in 49 (28%) subjects. Of these 49 subjects, 31 were re-evaluated after breathing 100% O2 for 10-15min and 6 (19%) continued to demonstrate the transpulmonary passage of contrast. Additionally, 18 of these 49 subjects were re-evaluated in the upright position and 1 (5%) continued to demonstrate the transpulmonary passage of contrast. These data suggest that ~30% of healthy, young, asymptomatic subjects demonstrate the transpulmonary passage of contrast at rest which is reduced by breathing 100% O2 and assuming an upright body position.
- Published
- 2013
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