Effect of early postoperative volume loading on left ventricular systolic function (including left ventricular ejection fraction determined by myocardial marker) after myocardial revascularization.

The effects of early volume loading in terms of isovolumetric-phase and ejection-phase indexes of left ventricular systolic function were studied in 12 patients 5 hr after myocardial revascularization, with myocardial markers used to measure left ventricular volume directly and with simultaneous transmural left ventricular pressure measurements by micromanometers. Volume loading (increasing transmural left ventricular end-diastolic pressure from 11 +/- 4 to 15 +/- 5 mm Hg) induced a significant 14% increase in left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), which was associated (as expected) with significant (p less than .005) augmentation of stroke work (+26%), left ventricular pressure-volume loop area (+35%), and stroke volume index (+22%) and with increments in left ventricular dP/dt and mean velocity of circumferential fiber shortening despite a simultaneous increase in left ventricular afterload. In contrast to previous radionuclide studies, however, left ventricular ejection fraction increased significantly (+9%) and the left ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume ratio did not fall. The relative change in ejection fraction was directly proportional to the increment in LVEDVI (r = .54, p = .03) and inversely related to the change in left ventricular end-systolic volume index (r = -.71, p = .0005). Patients who demonstrated a small or no increase in ejection fraction generally had a larger simultaneous increase in afterload, but one patient exhibited exhaustion of preload reserve. Ejection fraction, as an ejection-phase index of left ventricular performance, is highly dependent on afterload; therefore, interpretation of postoperative changes in ejection fraction must be undertaken only with strict caution.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)