Myocardial Contractile Reserve by Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography Predicts Improvement in Ejection Fraction with β-Blockade in Patients with Heart Failure: The β-Blocker Evaluation of Survival Trial (BEST)

Eric J. Eichhorn, Paul A. Grayburn, Susan A Mayer, Martin St John Sutton, Christopher Appleton, Jonathan Plehn, Jae Oh, Barry Greenberg, Anthony DeMaria, Robert Frantz, Heidi Krause-Steinrauf

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background - β-Blockers improve survival and reduce hospitalization in chronic heart failure (CHF) by biologically improving left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). However, a good predictor of improvement with this therapy has not been identified. This substudy of BEST examined whether myocardial contractile reserve, as determined by dobutamine stress echocardiography, predicts improvement in LVEF. Methods and Results - Seventy-nine patients with class III/IV CHF underwent dobutamine stress echocardiography before treatment with bucindolol (n =41) or placebo (n = 38). Regional wall motion score index (WMSI) was calculated as the sum of the scores in each segment divided by the total number of segments visualized. WMSI was compared with change in LVEF after 3 months of therapy as determined by gated radionuclide scan. Change in WMSI correlated inversely with change in LVEF after 3 months of bucindolol (r=-0.72, P

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2336-2341
Number of pages6
JournalCirculation
Volume108
Issue number19
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 11 2003
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Bucindolol
  • Contractility
  • Heart failure
  • Norepinephrine
  • Receptors, adrenergic, beta

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physiology
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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