In PTE, RV dysfunction on echocardiography is accompanied by BNP elevation; although tissue-Doppler imaging adequately confirms the presence of RV dysfunction, it has a limited sensitivity for this diagnosis.

RV contractile abnormalities may follow the same LV regional distribution in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy; the type of presentation rather than the presence of RV dysfunction seems to be responsible for an increased risk of complications and severity of functional impairment.

The impact of pulmonary embolism on right ventricular (RV) performance can be evaluated by echocardiography, however, the relationship between pulmonary vascular involvement and RV burden is controversial. To assess the effect of clot burden on RV performance we studied 85 patients (aged 53 ± 17 years, 39 female) with confirmed PE by multislice computed tomography (CT) and echocardiography within 24 h of diagnosis. A CT score ranging from 1 to 20 points according to the pulmonary arteries involved was used. RV function was evaluated with fractional area change (FAC), with dysfunction present when FAC < 40%. Tissue Doppler RV systolic (s') velocities and myocardial performance index (MPI) were obtained, as well as pulmonary artery pressure (PAP). Mean CT score was 9.4 ± 6.7. Only 31 out of 85 patients (37%) presented with RV dysfunction, with FAC measuring 27.8 ± 7.2% in patients with dysfunction compared to 47.8 ± 4.4 for those with preserved RV function (p < 0.05). RV dysfunction was associated to older age, higher CT scores, increased pulmonary pressures and MPI and decreased s' (p < 0.001). An inverse correlation with CT clot burden was found for FAC (r = -0.57), whereas a direct correlation was seen for PAP (r = 0.51) and MPI (0.32). No correlation was observed for tissue Doppler velocities. In patients with acute PE, the effect of clot burden on RV performance is better expressed FAC than tissue Doppler indexes; the increase in pulmonary pressure is proportional to the magnitude of obstruction.

SummaryBackground: TEE is a semi-invasive tool broadly used and its utilization associated to sedatives drugs might to affect the procedure safety.

Fundamento: O ecocardiograma é particularmente importante para a avaliação de pacientes instáveis hemodinamicamente. Apesar de sua realização à beira do leito eliminar o risco resultante do transporte, a obtenção de imagens pode ficar prejudicada; o posicionamento adequado poderia contribuir para uma melhor qualidade de imagem e consequentemente análise do exame. Objetivo: Avaliar se o posicionamento do paciente pela enfermagem poderia influenciar a qualidade das imagens ecocardiográficas obtidas no leito. Métodos: Foram estudados de maneira consecutiva os pacientes com solicitação de exame no leito. Durante a realização de ecocardiograma transtorácico foram adquiridos vídeos dos planos paraesternal longitudinal (PEL) e apical 4-câmaras (Apical-4C) e a imagem estática do fluxo aórtico (FAo) em decúbito lateral esquerdo (DLE) e em decúbito dorsal (DD). As imagens digitalizadas foram analisadas cegamente por dois observadores em relação ao tipo de decúbito utilizado. A qualidade das imagens foi graduada como 1:boa/ótima; 2:inadequada/ruim; e comparadas com o teste de Kappa e correlação de Pearson. Resultados: Foram estudados 68 pacientes, com idade de 69 ± 24 anos, sendo 37 do sexo masculino e superfície corpórea 1,85 ± 0,09 m 2. Em relação aos cortes, as imagens em DLE apresentam melhor qualidade (p < 0,001) quando comparadas ao DD tanto para os vídeos Apical-4C (Kappa 0,19) e PEL (Kappa 0,25) e FAo (Kappa 0,13); a concordância entre os avaliadores para a qualidade das imagens foi de 95%. Conclusão: O posicionamento adequado do paciente no leito em decúbito lateral esquerdo contribui significativamente para a aquisição de imagens de melhor qualidade.