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Early left atrial dysfunction in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients without chronic right heart failure

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Abstract

No data are actually available regarding the left atrial (LA) functional assessment by two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in early-stage idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The primary end-point of our study was to assess whether global LA peak strain (GLAPS), measured by 2D-STE analysis, may detect early alterations in LA function in IPF patients without right heart failure (RHF). Between September 2017 and January 2019, 50 consecutive IPF patients (73.8 ± 6.8 years, 36 males) without chronic RHF and 30 controls matched by age, sex and cardiovascular risk factors, were enrolled in an observational retrospective case–control study. All patients underwent a complete echocardiographic study implemented with 2D-STE analysis. GLAPS, left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS), right atrial (RA) reservoir strain (GSA+) and right ventricular (RV)-GLS were obtained in each patient. LVFP were significantly increased in IPF patients in comparison to controls (average E/e′ ratio 14.4 ± 3.0 vs 9.6 ± 1.5, p < 0.0001), while LV-GLS was slightly reduced in IPF patients compared to controls (19.4 ± 3.6% vs 21.0 ± 2.2%, p = 0.03).Moreover, GLAPS was significantly impaired in IPF patients in comparison to controls (18.4 ± 3.7% vs 28.4 ± 5.6%, p < 0.0001).Finally, the two groups of patients did not show any statistically significant difference in both RA-GSA + (23.9 ± 3.7% vs 24.5 ± 4.0%, p = 0.49) and RV-GLS (− 22.6 ± 3.3% vs − 23.5 ± 3.0%, p = 0.22). Notably, LV-GLS was strongly inversely correlated both with RV/LV basal diameter ratio and TRV in IPF patients (r = − 0.87 and − 0.82, respectively) but not in controls (r = − 0.29 and − 0.27, respectively). This finding highlights a likely process of ventricular interdependence in non-advanced IPF, with consequent LV diastolic dysfunction and secondary impairment in LV-GLS and GLAPS. Early LA reservoir dysfunction in IPF patients may be secondary to LV diastolic dysfunction induced by ventricular interdependence and may develop before RV diastolic and systolic dysfunction.

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Abbreviations

2D:

Two-dimensional

2D-STE:

Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography

6MWT:

Six-minute walking test

AF:

Atrial fibrillation

BSA:

Body surface area

CAD:

Coronary artery disease

CI:

Confidence interval

CVD:

Cardiovascular disease

DLCO:

Diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide

ECG:

Electrocardiogram

GLAPS:

Global left atrial peak strain

GLS:

Global longitudinal strain

GSA+:

Positive global atrial strain

GSA−:

Negative global atrial strain

GSR+:

Positive global strain rate

GSRE:

Global early-diastolic strain rate

GSRL:

Global late-diastolic strain rate

HF:

Heart failure

HR:

Heart rate

HRCT:

High-resolution computed tomography

ICC:

Intraclass correlation coefficient

ILD:

Interstitial lung disease

IPF:

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

LA:

Left atrial

LV:

Left ventricular

LVFP:

Left ventricular filling pressure

MDRD:

Modification of diet in renal disease

PH:

Pulmonary hypertension

PW:

Pulsed-wave

RHF:

Right heart failure

ROI:

Region of interest

RV:

Right ventricular

SPSS:

Statistical package for social science

SR:

Strain rate

STE:

Speckle tracking echocardiography

TDI:

Tissue Doppler imaging

TGSA:

Total global atrial strain

TLC:

Total lung capacity

TTE:

Transthoracic echocardiography

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Acknowledgement

This work has been supported by Italian Ministry of Health Ricerca Corrente—IRCCS MultiMedica.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiology, Ospedale San Giuseppe MultiMedica, Via San Vittore 12, 20123, Milan, Italy

    Andrea Sonaglioni & Michele Lombardo

  2. Semi-Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pneumology, Department of Respiratory Physiopathology and Pulmonary Hemodynamics, Ospedale San Giuseppe MultiMedica IRCCS, Via San Vittore 12, 20123, Milan, Italy

    Antonella Caminati, Roberto Lipsi & Sergio Harari

  3. Department of Cardiology, Policlinico San Giorgio, Via Agostino Gemelli 10, 33170, Pordenone, Italy

    Gian Luigi Nicolosi

  4. Cardiovascular Department, MultiMedica IRCCS, Via Milanese 300, Sesto San Giovanni, 20099, Milan, Italy

    Claudio Anzà

  5. Department of Medical Sciences San Giuseppe Hospital MultiMedica IRCCS and Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

    Sergio Harari

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  1. Andrea Sonaglioni
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Correspondence to Antonella Caminati.

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Conflict of interest

Antonella Caminati reports personal fees from Roche and Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work. Sergio Harari reports grants and personal fees from Roche, Actelion and Boehringer Ingelheim, outside the submitted work. All other authors declares no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in the present study were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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10554_2020_1887_MOESM1_ESM.jpg

Supplementary file1 Supplemental Table Intra- and interobserver variability analysis of the main conventional and functional echocardiographic parameters, measured in a subgroup of 20 patients. ICC, intraclass correlation coefficient. GLAPS, global left atrial peak strain. LAVi, left atrial volume indexed. LV, left ventricular. LVEDVi, left ventricular end-diastolic volume indexed. LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction. LVMi, left ventricular mass indexed. RV, right ventricular. TRV, tricuspid regurgitation peak velocity (JPG 1466 kb)

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Sonaglioni, A., Caminati, A., Lipsi, R. et al. Early left atrial dysfunction in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis patients without chronic right heart failure. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 36, 1711–1723 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-020-01887-5

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