Aortic flow rate calculated on dobutamine stress echocardiography is the best predictor of risk in patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, according to a presentation this week at the annual American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) scientific sessions in Seattle.
In a poster presentation, researchers from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, reported that calculating aortic flow rate outperforms contractile reserve, the measure currently used for risk stratification of patients receiving dobutamine stress echocardiography for a low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis.
Patients presenting with low ejection fractions could be exhibiting early signs of heart failure, and clinicians can calculate aortic flow rate to help determine if valve replacement surgery or other therapies are needed, according to the team led by Dr. Said Alsidawi.
