%0 Journal Article %T How many systolic and diastolic variables must be measured in elderly patients with symptoms of heart failure? %A Jan B. Remmets %A Mona K. Olofsson %A Hans Stenlund %A Kurt O. Boman %J World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases %P 102-109 %@ 2164-5337 %D 2012 %I Scientific Research Publishing %R 10.4236/wjcd.2012.22017 %X Objectives: To explore the concordance and the feasibility of obtaining systolic or diastolic variables of left ventricular function in elderly patients with heart failure symptoms. Methods: One hundred twenty four patients with symptoms of heart failure (mean age 77 years, 70% females) were included in a cross-sectional, explorative study. Nineteen echocardiographic variables (7 systolic and 12 diastolic) were measured. Results: Overall, feasibility ranged from 93% to 100% for 15 variables and was 48% for mitral regurgitation dp/dt(MRdp/dt), 66% for the difference between pulmonary AR-dur and mitral A-dur, 81% for the ratio between early and late mitral inflow velocity (E/A), and 76% for tissue Doppler imaging late dia-stolic velocity (TDI A¡¯). Concordance was very good/ good in 83% and poor/missing in 17% of systolic variables, whereas it was very good/good for 67% of diastolic variables and poor/missing for 33%. Factor analysis reduced systolic variables to two factors that explained 69% of the total variance in systolic function. Conclusions: Low feasibility for some and questionable concordance of especially diastolic variables questions the rationale for routinely measuring a high number of echocardigraphic variables. The results of the factor analysis further strengthen the possibility of reducing the number of measured variables. The clinical value of such a reduction needs to be validated. %K Echocardiography %K Systole %K Diastole %K Elderly %K Primary Health Care %U http://www.scirp.org/journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=18749