Accuracy of Doppler Echocardiography to Estimate Key Hemodynamic Variables in Subjects With Normal Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction

Background: The accuracy of Doppler echocardiography to estimate key hemodynamic parameters in subjects with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) has not been fully investigated. Methods and Results: Thirty-six subjects with LVEF >50% (median age 62 years), with a broad clinical profile, underwent Doppler echocardiography immediately followed by right heart catheterization. Correlation coefficients between invasive and noninvasive right atrial pressure (RAP), systolic (sPAP) and mean (mPAP) pulmonary artery pressure, cardiac output (CO), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were 0.39, 0.70, 0.72, 0.57, and 0.60 (P < .001 for all). There was no significant correlation between invasive and noninvasive (based on the peak early transmitral to peak early septal mitral annular velocity ratio) pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP; r = 0.23; P = .18). Bland-Altman plots revealed variable bias but with consistently large limits of agreement for all noninvasive parameters, particularly PCWP. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for noninvasive sPAP, CO, PVR, and PCWP to predict an invasively assessed mPAP >= 25 mm Hg, cardiac index <2.5 L min(-1) m(-2), PVR >3 Wood units, and PCWP <= 15 mm Hg, respectively, were 0.92, 0.83, 0.70, and 0.58. Conclusions: Single Doppler echocardiography parameters are not accurate enough to reliably estimate key hemodynamic parameters, particularly PCWP, in subjects with normal LVEF. (J Cardiac Fail 2011; 17:405-412)