The DAVES (Disfunzione asintomatica VEntricolare sinistra) study by the Italian society of cardiovascular echography: rationale and design

Background Diagnosis of heart failure (HF) is based on clinical signs, instrumental findings and response to treatment. The recent classification of the European Society of Cardiology identifies early stages of ventricular dysfunction not associated with symptoms of HF (Stage A-B). However, only few data are available on the prevalence and prognostic value of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. Methods The SIEC (Societa Italiana di Ecografia Cardiovascolare - Italian Society of Cardiovascular Echography) has planned a national multicenter observational study aimed to assess: (1) the prevalence of left ventricular (LV) systolic and diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic subjects without a history of HF (transversal phase); (2) the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors and LV asymptomatic dysfunction; (3) the relationship between comorbidities and LV asymptomatic dysfunction; and (4) the incidence of cardiac events at follow-up (longitudinal phase). Data from 75 echocardiographic laboratories were recorded, merged, and analyzed using a dedicated software. Current status Recruitment started in June 2003 and closed in February 2004. Overall, 16 099 patients (men, 8496; women, 7603; male: female ratio, 1.11) have been screened and 6679 (men, 3504; women, 3175; male: female ratio, 1.10) were enrolled. The follow-up is currently ongoing.