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, data from a clinical trial suggest.
The finding could represent an opportunity for early intervention, Rita Pavasini, MD, wrote in COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
“Early change of the right ventricular function, as detected by reduced right ventricular strain and reduced fractional area change, is present in [these] patients,” wrote Dr. Pavasini of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Ferrara, Cona, Italy. “Further studies are warranted to determine whether these alterations can be reversed or modulated by an early identification and treatment and whether targeting early right ventricular strain reduction results in better clinical outcomes in these comorbid patients.”
Dr. Pavasini and colleagues reported a prespecified subanalysis of the Screening for COPD in ACS Patients (SCAP) trial, which showed that screening patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes with respiratory measures could identify those at risk for undiagnosed COPD. The substudy examined the echocardiographic characteristics of these patients.
SCAP comprised 137 patients who were current or past smokers. At baseline, 29% had a COPD diagnosis. However, most displayed airflow limitation (59% mild, 38% moderate). All underwent transthoracic echocardiogram at baseline and at 6 months.
At baseline, fractional area change (FAC) was already significantly lower in patients with occult COPD than in those without it (38% vs. 44%). Patients with undiagnosed COPD also had significantly reduced right ventricular strain (RVS) (–15 vs. –20).
“Interestingly, the inferior location of myocardial infarction did not influence the results,” the authors said. “Indeed, RVS and FAC did not differ between patients with inferior location of myocardial infarction vs. those without inferior location.”
At 6 months, these differences were unabated. FAC was still significantly lower among those with COPD (37% vs. 46%), and RVS still significantly less (–16 vs. –20). Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was also significantly higher in patients with concomitant COPD (35 vs. 27 mm Hg).
“The early impairment in RVS might reflect the impact of endothelial dysfunction, increased arterial stiffness and inflammation on right heart function, rather than only hypoxia, and even more in a population with mainly mild to moderate COPD,” the team said. “Thus, it is highly probable that sPAP in patients with undiagnosed COPD is mainly determined by concomitant pulmonary disease, which did not differ between acute and chronic phase.”
On the whole, the data suggest that the impairment of right ventricular strain was primarily related to the undiagnosed COPD, and not the cardiovascular event, they said,
“These data are consistent with the observed impairment of RVS and indirectly confirms that undiagnosed COPD determines early changes in the structure and function of the right heart.”
Dr. Pavasini had no relevant financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Pavasini R et al. COPD 2019 Jul 21. doi: 10.1080/15412555.2019.16451059.
, data from a clinical trial suggest.
The finding could represent an opportunity for early intervention, Rita Pavasini, MD, wrote in COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
“Early change of the right ventricular function, as detected by reduced right ventricular strain and reduced fractional area change, is present in [these] patients,” wrote Dr. Pavasini of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Ferrara, Cona, Italy. “Further studies are warranted to determine whether these alterations can be reversed or modulated by an early identification and treatment and whether targeting early right ventricular strain reduction results in better clinical outcomes in these comorbid patients.”
Dr. Pavasini and colleagues reported a prespecified subanalysis of the Screening for COPD in ACS Patients (SCAP) trial, which showed that screening patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes with respiratory measures could identify those at risk for undiagnosed COPD. The substudy examined the echocardiographic characteristics of these patients.
SCAP comprised 137 patients who were current or past smokers. At baseline, 29% had a COPD diagnosis. However, most displayed airflow limitation (59% mild, 38% moderate). All underwent transthoracic echocardiogram at baseline and at 6 months.
At baseline, fractional area change (FAC) was already significantly lower in patients with occult COPD than in those without it (38% vs. 44%). Patients with undiagnosed COPD also had significantly reduced right ventricular strain (RVS) (–15 vs. –20).
“Interestingly, the inferior location of myocardial infarction did not influence the results,” the authors said. “Indeed, RVS and FAC did not differ between patients with inferior location of myocardial infarction vs. those without inferior location.”
At 6 months, these differences were unabated. FAC was still significantly lower among those with COPD (37% vs. 46%), and RVS still significantly less (–16 vs. –20). Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was also significantly higher in patients with concomitant COPD (35 vs. 27 mm Hg).
“The early impairment in RVS might reflect the impact of endothelial dysfunction, increased arterial stiffness and inflammation on right heart function, rather than only hypoxia, and even more in a population with mainly mild to moderate COPD,” the team said. “Thus, it is highly probable that sPAP in patients with undiagnosed COPD is mainly determined by concomitant pulmonary disease, which did not differ between acute and chronic phase.”
On the whole, the data suggest that the impairment of right ventricular strain was primarily related to the undiagnosed COPD, and not the cardiovascular event, they said,
“These data are consistent with the observed impairment of RVS and indirectly confirms that undiagnosed COPD determines early changes in the structure and function of the right heart.”
Dr. Pavasini had no relevant financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Pavasini R et al. COPD 2019 Jul 21. doi: 10.1080/15412555.2019.16451059.
, data from a clinical trial suggest.
The finding could represent an opportunity for early intervention, Rita Pavasini, MD, wrote in COPD: Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
“Early change of the right ventricular function, as detected by reduced right ventricular strain and reduced fractional area change, is present in [these] patients,” wrote Dr. Pavasini of Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Ferrara, Cona, Italy. “Further studies are warranted to determine whether these alterations can be reversed or modulated by an early identification and treatment and whether targeting early right ventricular strain reduction results in better clinical outcomes in these comorbid patients.”
Dr. Pavasini and colleagues reported a prespecified subanalysis of the Screening for COPD in ACS Patients (SCAP) trial, which showed that screening patients admitted for acute coronary syndromes with respiratory measures could identify those at risk for undiagnosed COPD. The substudy examined the echocardiographic characteristics of these patients.
SCAP comprised 137 patients who were current or past smokers. At baseline, 29% had a COPD diagnosis. However, most displayed airflow limitation (59% mild, 38% moderate). All underwent transthoracic echocardiogram at baseline and at 6 months.
At baseline, fractional area change (FAC) was already significantly lower in patients with occult COPD than in those without it (38% vs. 44%). Patients with undiagnosed COPD also had significantly reduced right ventricular strain (RVS) (–15 vs. –20).
“Interestingly, the inferior location of myocardial infarction did not influence the results,” the authors said. “Indeed, RVS and FAC did not differ between patients with inferior location of myocardial infarction vs. those without inferior location.”
At 6 months, these differences were unabated. FAC was still significantly lower among those with COPD (37% vs. 46%), and RVS still significantly less (–16 vs. –20). Systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) was also significantly higher in patients with concomitant COPD (35 vs. 27 mm Hg).
“The early impairment in RVS might reflect the impact of endothelial dysfunction, increased arterial stiffness and inflammation on right heart function, rather than only hypoxia, and even more in a population with mainly mild to moderate COPD,” the team said. “Thus, it is highly probable that sPAP in patients with undiagnosed COPD is mainly determined by concomitant pulmonary disease, which did not differ between acute and chronic phase.”
On the whole, the data suggest that the impairment of right ventricular strain was primarily related to the undiagnosed COPD, and not the cardiovascular event, they said,
“These data are consistent with the observed impairment of RVS and indirectly confirms that undiagnosed COPD determines early changes in the structure and function of the right heart.”
Dr. Pavasini had no relevant financial disclosures.
SOURCE: Pavasini R et al. COPD 2019 Jul 21. doi: 10.1080/15412555.2019.16451059.
FROM COPD: JOURNAL OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE