Prevalence of mechanical dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular function (a report from the Belgian Multicenter registry on dyssynchrony)

The present study evaluated the prevalence of mechanical inter- and intraventricular dyssynchrony in patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (LVEF). We studied 138 patients with heart failure (age 67 ± 11 years; 76% men); 60 patients had preserved LVEF (>40%). Using conventional Doppler echocardiography, an interventricular mechanical delay ≥40 ms was defined as interventricular dyssynchrony. Using pulse-wave tissue Doppler imaging, the time from the beginning of the QRS complex to onset of systolic motion was measured in 4 basal LV segments. A dispersion of ≥60 ms was defined as intraventricular dyssynchrony. The prevalence of inter- and intraventricular dyssynchrony was lower in patients with preserved LVEF than in those with reduced LVEF (17% vs 41%, p