Evidence of left ventricular dysfunction in asymptomatic elderly patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a distinct entity in diabetic patients with congestive heart failure, who have no angiographic evidence of significant coronary artery stenosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function in 24 elderly patients (mean age 67 +/- 2 years) with type 2 diabetes, who were asymptomatic and had no history of hypertension, or coronary or valvular heart disease. LV systolic indices (ejection fraction [EF] and fractional shortening [FS]), diastolic indices (E wave, A wave, E/A ratio, isovolumic relaxation time [IVRT] and deceleration time [DT]) and the myocardial performance index (MPI) were evaluated with echocardiography.

Evaluation of a Doppler-derived index combining systolic and diastolic left ventricular function in acute myocardial infarction.

Assessment of left ventricular (LV) function is crucial in the immediate postinfarction period. The authors evaluated the clinical applicability of the Doppler-derived myocardial performance index (MPI, defined as the sum of isovolumic contraction and relaxation times divided by LV ejection time) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) as to whether this index reflects the severity of LV dysfunction in this subgroup of patients. Post-AMI patients (n = 33) were compared with age- and sex-matched healthy subjects (n = 35).