A single session of haemodialysis improves left ventricular synchronicity in patients with end-stage renal disease: A pilot tissue synchronization imaging study

Abstract

Background. Mechanical left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony impairs cardiac function in patients with heart failure and LV hypertrophy (LVH) and may be a factor contributing to the high incidence of cardiac deaths in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).Objectives. To evaluate the possible presence of LV dyssynchrony in ESRD patients, and acute effect of haemodialysis (HD) on LV synchronicity using a tailored echocardiographic modality, tissue synchronization imaging (TSI). Methods. In 13 clinically stable ESRD patients (7 men; 65 ± 10 years) with LVH, echocardiography data were acquired before and after a single HD session for subsequent off-line TSI analysis enabling the retrieval of regional intraventricular systolic delay data. Six basal and six midventricular LV segments were evaluated. Dyssynchrony was defined as a regional difference in time to peak systolic velocity >105 ms. Results. Before HD, all patients had at least one dyssynchronous LV segment. The percentage of delayed segments correlated positively to LV end-diastolic diameter (r = 0.68, P < 0.05). HD induced a substantial decrease in the percentage of delayed segments from 36 ± 25% to 19 ± 14% (P < 0.01), reduced average maximal mechanical systolic LV delay from 300 ± 89 to 225 ± 116 ms (P < 0.05) and completely normalized LV synchronicity in three patients (23%). Conclusions. LV dyssynchrony appears to be present frequently in ESRD patients with LVH. The severity of LV dyssynchrony correlates with LV end-diastolic diameter and decreases after a single session of HD suggesting a mechanistic relevance of volume overload and possibly other toxins accumulating in HD patients. © The Author [2008]. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.