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This study documented mitral flow velocity patterns in anesthetized patients with ischemic heart disease and left ventricular dysfunction and investigated the relationship between transmitral flow velocity measurements and the hemodynamic response to ventricular pacing. Twenty-four patients in sinus rhythm without evidence of mitral valve disease undergoing elective myocardial revascularization were studied. Anesthesia consisted of a high-dose opioid-muscle relaxant-oxygen technique. After endotracheal intubation a 3.5-MHz phased-array transesophageal echocardiographic probe was inserted and positioned to obtain a long-axis view of the left atrium and left ventricle. The Doppler sample volume was placed at the mitral annulus with minimal cursor angulation, and the biphasic velocity tracing of transmitral blood flow was recorded. A hemodynamic profile was obtained, and cardiac output was measured in triplicate by thermodilution. Ventricular pacing was then instituted and the hemodynamic and thermodilution measurements were repeated. The peak early filling (E) velocity was 0.34 +/- 0.11 m/s, and the peak atrial (A) velocity was 0.38 +/- 0.09 m/s. The mean E:A ratio was 0.91 +/- 0.3, and the median value was 0.88. In sinus rhythm the cardiac index of those patients with an E:A greater than 0.88 (group 1) was 1.97 +/- 0.32 l/min and those with an E:A less than 0.88 (group 2) was 1.76 +/- 0.50 (NS). During ventricular pacing the patients in group 1 (1.56 +/- 0.32 l/min) had significantly higher cardiac indices than those in group 2 (1.21 +/- 0.31 l/min) (P less than 0.02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The purpose of this study was to assess whether blood flow velocity signals, obtained by esophageal continuous-wave Doppler, reflect changes in ventricular performance. Ventricular performance has previously been determined by analysis of blood flow velocity signals sampled in the ascending aorta. In this investigation velocity signals were acquired from the descending aorta, with the use of an esophageal Doppler transducer. Maximum blood flow velocity (Vm), maximum blood flow volume acceleration (Accv), and maximum linear blood flow acceleration (Acc) were the velocity signals used to evaluate left ventricular performance. Twenty-six patients scheduled for myocardial revascularization and anesthetized with fentanyl (50 micrograms/kg) and pancuronium (0.15 mg/kg) were studied. In seven patients (Group I) a good correlation (r = 0.91) was observed between Accv in the ascending and descending aorta. In 10 patients (Group 2), halothane (0.5 and 1.0 MAC end-tidal) was added to the anesthetic. At these halothane concentrations Vm, Accv, and Acc measured in the descending aorta remained unchanged. Decreases were noted in the product of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and Acc (P-Acc; decreased 20% at 0.5 MAC and 39% at 1 MAC) and the product of systemic vascular resistance and Acc (R-Acc; decreased 25% at 1 MAC). In nine patients (Group 3), phenylephrine was used to reverse the decrease in MAP induced by 1 MAC halothane. Under these conditions Vm, Accv, Acc, and P-Acc showed similar decreases (approximately 30% of baseline values), whereas R-Acc returned to baseline values. In summary, indices of blood flow in the descending aorta were easily determined with a commercial transesophageal continuous-wave Doppler device. Descending and ascending aortic blood flow Accv correlated well, and the changes in the product of MAP and Acc in the descending aorta reflected the anticipated, halothane-induced, changes in left ventricular performance. In conclusion, descending aortic blood flow acceleration contains information on left ventricular performance that can be derived by the minimally invasive transesophageal Doppler technique.

The effects of doxacurium chloride, a new long-acting non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocking drug, on cardiac performance were studied in 45 patients undergoing high-dose fentanyl-diazepam-oxygen anaesthesia for cardiac surgery. Data were collected at baseline (10 min after tracheal intubation), and at 2, 5 and 10 min after an i.v. bolus of doxacurium with a rapid-response thermistor pulmonary arterial catheter, using two-dimensional transoesophageal echocardiography, and direct arterial pressure measurement. The patients were allocated to four groups based on the type of surgery and dose of doxacurium (0.05 or 0.08 mg kg-1). No changes in left or right ventricular dimensions or contractility were detected in any group. Although significant changes (P less than 0.05) occurred in several groups, all these changes were clinically insignificant (less than 10% change from baseline values), and were similar to those seen in unstimulated anaesthetized patients. Doxacurium appears to be a safe drug for use in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, and is devoid of significant cardiovascular side effects in the doses tested.