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Aim: Two‑dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D‑STE) and three‑dimensional echocardiography (3DE) may overcome many limitations of the conventional 2D echocardiography (2DE) in assessing right ventricular (RV) function. We sought to determine whether characteristics of the right atrium and right ventricle as measured by 2D‑STE and 3DE are associated with cardiac mortality in patients with ischemic heart failure, over a 6‑year follow‑up. Materials and Methods: The inclusion criteria were ischemic cardiomyopathy with left ventricular ejection fraction of <40% diagnosed using standard 2DE, 2D‑STE, and 3DE examination. Patients were followed for 6 years, and cardiac mortality was recorded. Results: The study sample comprised a total of 54 participants. During the period of follow‑up, 24% (13/54) died. The 2DE models showed that being older, having a higher body mass index (BMI), having higher systolic pulmonary artery pressure (SPAP), and a lower RV global longitudinal strain were associated with cardiac mortality in our cohort after 6‑year follow‑up. Finally, the 3DE models showed that in addition to being older, having higher BMI, having a higher SPAP baseline, lower baseline 3DE RV stroke volume, and larger 3DE RV end‑diastolic volume and 3DE RV end‑systolic volume were associated with cardiac mortality over 6‑year follow‑up. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that RV dysfunction as seen on 2D‑STE and 3DE could be associated with increased risk of cardiac‑related mortality in patients with heart failure over 6 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Technical improvement and new operative strategies significantly influence survival and outcomes after the treatment of acute aortic dissection type A (AADA). However, postoperative complications and particularly neurological dysfunctions (ND) are still very common., Aim: To identify preoperative and intraoperative factors as well as immediate postoperative conditions with an influence on the occurrence of neurological complications of surgical treatment of AADA and accordingly take action to reduce them., Material and Methods: Between January 2013 and December 2018, 240 patients with AADA were emergently surgically treated. All patients were divided into two groups: group I - patients with postoperative ND (subgroup Ia - patients with mild, transient ND and Ib - patients with severe ND) and group II - patients without ND., Results: Neurological damage after the operation was registered in 87 (39.5%) patients. Thirty (13.6%) patients had mild ND and 57 (25.9%) severe. Presence of preoperative neurological deficit, reduced level of consciousness, supra-aortic vessel dissection, hemodynamic instability, and excessive postoperative bleeding with hypotension are factors with a highly statistically significant association with the occurrence of severe ND. Neurological complications were not identified in 66.7% of patients who were axillary cannulated versus 55.9% of patients cannulated in the other way but the difference did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.1099)., Conclusions: Advanced neuroprotective strategies during surgical treatment of AADA are associated with favorable neurological outcomes, especially in a group of patients with identified risk factors for ND., Competing Interests: Authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Polish Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (Polskie Towarzystwo KardioTorakochirurgów) and the editors of the Polish Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (Kardiochirurgia i Torakochirurgia Polska).)