Publications by authors named "Nils C Kremer"
Loss of right ventricular outflow function in pulmonary hypertension.
J Heart Lung Transplant
February 2025
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the relationship between right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) function and the severity of pulmonary hypertension (PH) using three-dimensional echocardiography.
- Findings show that patients with PH have a significantly lower median 3D RVOT ejection fraction (EF) compared to healthy controls, indicating compromised RVOT function.
- Patients with low RVOT-EF were more likely to be in higher risk categories and experienced worse clinical outcomes, suggesting that segmental RVOT analysis can help identify high-risk individuals even if their overall right ventricular function appears normal.
Background: Pulmonary hypertension (PH) can lead to congestive hepatopathy, known as cardiohepatic syndrome (CHS). Hepatic congestion is associated with increased liver stiffness, which can be quantified using shear wave elastography. We aimed to investigate whether hepatic shear wave elastography detects patients at risk in the early stages of PH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Right ventricular (RV) diastolic dysfunction may be prognostic in pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, its assessment is complex and relies on conductance catheterisation. We aimed to evaluate echocardiography-based parameters as surrogates of RV diastolic function, provide validation against the gold standard, end-diastolic elastance (Eed), and define the prognostic impact of echocardiography-derived RV diastolic dysfunction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Cardiac interactions with organs such as the liver or kidneys have been described in different cardiovascular diseases. However, the clinical relevance of hepatorenal dysfunction in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) remains unclear. We determined the association of hepatorenal dysfunction (measured using the Model for End-stage Liver Disease Sodium [MELDNa] score) with right heart function and survival in patients with CTEPH.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The right ventricle has a complex contraction pattern of uncertain clinical relevance. We aimed to assess the relationship between right ventricular (RV) contraction pattern and RV-pulmonary arterial (PA) coupling defined by the gold-standard pressure-volume loop-derived ratio of end-systolic/arterial elastance (Ees/Ea).
Methods: Prospectively enrolled patients with suspected or confirmed pulmonary hypertension underwent three-dimensional echocardiography, standard right heart catheterization, and RV conductance catheterization.