A Multivariate Model to Predict Chronic Heart Failure after Acute ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Preliminary Study.

Unlabelled: A multivariate model for predicting the risk of decompensated chronic heart failure (CHF) within 48 weeks after ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has been developed and tested.

Methods: The study included 173 patients with acute STEMI aged 51.4 (95% confidence interval (CI): 42-61) years.

A New Approach to Evaluating the Pumping Function of the Heart by the Myocardial Work.

The function of left ventricular (LV) contractility consists of two aspects, the force of myocardial contraction, which provides a sufficient pressure gradient to open the heart valves, and deformation, which determines the actual cardiac output [1, 2]. The relationship between the characteristics of LV deformation and LV volume parameters remains poorly understood. The LV work may reflect the dependence between the volume and deformation characteristics of the left ventricle.

Use of the Speckle tracking method for determining global parameters of heart contractility in healthy individuals.

The speckle tracking method allows one to quantify the temporal and spatial characteristics of myocardial contraction. Importantly, it does not depend on a scanning angle and allows one to record the movement of speckles in 2D mode in any direction, unlike tissue Doppler imaging. This examination is non-invasive, safe for patients, and economically more beneficial in comparison with other modern methods of assessing heart contractility: MRI and scintigraphy.