Incremental Prognostic Value of Echocardiography Measures of Right Ventricular Systolic Function in Patients With Chronic Heart Failure.

Background: Tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), Doppler tissue imaging-derived tricuspid lateral annular systolic wave velocity (S'), and right ventricular fractional area change (RV-FAC) are the most widely used echocardiographic measures of right ventricular systolic function. This study aimed to compare the prognostic value of TAPSE, S', and RV-FAC in a large cohort of patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods: Consecutive outpatients with heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction <50% on guideline-recommended therapies undergoing echocardiography were followed up for the end point of cardiac and all-cause death.