Decreased Mechanical Function of Left Atrium Assessed by Speckle Tracking and Tissue Doppler Echocardiography in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure

Mechanical dysfunction of left atrium (LA) could be documented by tissue Doppler and speckle tracking echocardiography in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF). This study included 28 CHF, 46 untreated hypertension (HT), and 52 normal (NM) individuals with normal sinus rhythm. LA volumes and emptying fraction (LAEF) were measured by biplane area-length method. Peak LA strain (LAS) and strain rate (LASR) measured from speckle tracking echocardiography were identified as the peak negative deflection after P-wave. Tissue velocity (LATV) and tissue Doppler-derived strain (LATS) of LA were also used as indices of LA mechanical function. LAEF, LAS, LASR, LATV, and LATS were significantly lower in CHF than in HT and NM. After multivariate analysis controlling for age and sex, LAS, LASR, and LATV were still significantly lower in CHF. LASR was significantly correlated with LAEF. In conclusion, LA mechanical function was decreased in patients with CHF.