Septic cardiomyopathy - A not yet discovered cardiomyopathy?

Myocardial depression in human sepsis was only unequivocally proven in the 1980s by the group of Parrillo, who used nuclear imaging techniques to measure heart volumes and function in intensive care patients. Heart failure in sepsis is frequently masked by a seemingly normal cardiac output. However, relative to the lowered systemic vascular resistance - resulting in a reduced afterload - cardiac outputs and ventricular ejection fractions are often not adequately enhanced.

Impedance cardiography: a useful and reliable tool in optimization of cardiac resynchronization devices.

Aims: Optimizing cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices has become more complex since modification of both atrioventricular (AV) and interventricular (VV) stimulation intervals has become possible. The current paper presents data from the routine use of impedance cardiography (IC)-based cardiac output (CO) measurements to guide the optimization of AV- and VV-interval timing of CRT devices.

Methods And Results: Forty-six patients with heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction <35%, New York Heart Association (NYHA) III-IV) and left bundle branch block (>130 ms) in sinus rhythm were evaluated 3-5 days after implantation of a CRT device by means of IC.