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Objective: Heart failure is the most frequent cause of death among patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis(RA), in which high prevalence is independent of traditional risk factors. An early diagnosis of subclinical heart failure may be made by assessing left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (LVDD) by Doppler Echocardiography. Our study aims to early identify LVDD in RA patients., Methods: We enrolled 207 consecutive postmenopausal women (PMW) with normal electrocardiography and physical examination with a confirmed diagnosis of RA, for over one year, 200 PMW free from RA served as the control group (CG). All women underwent M-mode and two-dimensional Doppler echocardiography., Results: A total of 72 women were affected by LVDD among 207 women with RA (34.8%), 46 among 200 women in the CG (23%), chi-squared 6.8, OR 1.8, confidence interval (CI) 95%, p < 0.009. For our RA women, the chance of being affected by LVDD has almost doubled. There were 70 women affected by LVDD among 72 hypertensive women with RA (97.2%). A total of 32 women were affected by LVDD among 98 hypertensive women in the CG (32.7%), chi-squared 72.1, OR 7.2, CI 95%, p < 0.009. Among hypertensive PMW in our population, the chance of being affected by LVDD has more than tripled. All LVDD subjects had abnormal diastolic function for all different degrees., Conclusion: We propose that PMW, affected by RA, have a significantly higher prevalence than CG of LVDD without clinical evidence of heart disease. Since the prevalence is even higher if they are hypertensive, we suggest a Doppler echocardiography examination for all women with a diagnosis of RA., (© 2023 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine.)

The interpretation of the heart as a mechanical engine dates back to the teachings of Leonardo da Vinci, who was the first to apply the laws of mechanics to the function of the heart. Similar to any mechanical engine, whose performance is proportional to the power generated with respect to weight, the left ventricle can be viewed as a power generator whose performance can be related to left ventricular mass. Stress echocardiography may provide valuable information on the relationship between cardiac performance and recruited left ventricular mass that may be used in distinguishing between adaptive and maladaptive left ventricular remodeling. Peak power output-to-mass, obtained during exercise or pharmacological stress echocardiography, is a measure that reflects the number of watts that are developed by 100 g of left ventricular mass under maximal stimulation. Power output-to-mass may be calculated as left ventricular power output per 100 g of left ventricular mass: 100× left ventricular power output divided by left ventricular mass (W/100 g). A simplified formula to calculate power output-to-mass is as follows: 0.222 × cardiac output (l/min) × mean blood pressure (mmHg)/left ventricular mass (g). When the integrity of myocardial structure is compromised, a mismatch becomes apparent between maximal cardiac power output and left ventricular mass; when this occurs, a reduction of the peak power output-to-mass index is observed.

The assessment of LVDDis routinely included in echocardiographic evaluation because it correlates with cardiac disease progression and its prognostic value. Classic parameters used for assessing LVdiastolic function correlate well with invasive measurements which remains the gold standard. Nevertheless, no one echocardiographic parameter alone can completely evaluate LVDD. LV diastolic function evaluation in atrial fibrillation is still challenging, since the E/A ratio, one of the most used parameters in echocardiographic evaluation, cannot be feasible. This is not a good reason to give up measurement. In this review, we analyze the different methods for estimating LV diastolic function in atrial fibrillation, including measurement not dependent on atrial systole and some novel methods that are promising, but not ever available during clinical practice highlighting that this assessment is mandatory for a complete clinical evaluation of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]