Effect of Preload Alterations on Left Ventricular Systolic Parameters Including Speckle-Tracking Echocardiography Radial Strain During General Anesthesia

ObjectivesFrequently used parameters for evaluation of left ventricular systolic function are load-sensitive. However, the impact of preload alterations on speckle-tracking echocardiographic parameters during anesthesia has not been validated. Therefore, two-dimensional (2D) speckle-tracking echocardiography radial strain (RS) was assessed during general anesthesia, simulating 3 different preload conditions.DesignSingle-center prospective observational study.SettingUniversity hospital.ParticipantsThirty-three patients with normal left ventricular systolic function undergoing major surgery.InterventionsTransgastric views of the midpapillary level of the left ventricle were acquired at 3 different positions.Measurements and Main ResultsFractional shortening (FS), fractional area change (FAC), and 2D speckle-tracking echocardiography RS were analyzed in the transgastric midpapillary view. Considerable correlation above 0.5 was found for FAC and FS in the zero and Trendelenburg positions (r = 0.629, r = 0.587), and for RS and FAC in the anti-Trendelenburg position (r = 0.518). In the repeated-measures analysis, significant differences among the values measured at the 3 positions were found for FAC and FS. For FAC, there were differences up to 2.8 percentage points between the anti-Trendelenburg position and the other 2 positions. For FS, only the difference between position zero and anti-Trendelenburg was significant, with an observed change of 1.66. Two-dimensional RS was not significantly different at all positions, with observed changes below 1 percentage point.ConclusionsAlterations in preload did not result in clinically relevant changes of RS, FS, or FAC. Observed changes for RS were smallest; however, the variation of RS was larger than that of FS or FAC.