013 THE EFFECT OF TIME TO THROMBOLYSIS ON THE LV FUNCTION POST ANTERIOR MI AND THE MOST ACCURATE AND REPRODUCIBLE METHOD OF ASSESSMENT

T. A. Fox, P. Finn, N. J. Carline, K. F. Murt, J. Rees, A. Amadi. Aintree Cardiac Centre, Liverpool, UK

Background: Previous clinical trials have demonstrated that there is a reduction in mortality by thrombolytic therapy in acute MI in relation to a shorter time between onset of symptoms and treatment. This study analyses the link between time to thrombolysis and early recovery of LV function. It also assesses the most accurate and reproducible method of assessing the function itself.

Methods: 35 patients with Anterior MI but no previous cardiac history received thrombolysis. These patients had echocardiograms performed 5 days post MI. The LV function was assessed using a visual eyeballing method and the LV function graded as good or showing mild, mild-moderate, moderate, moderate-severe or severe LV dysfunction. An LV ejection fraction was then calculated 3 times per patient using the Modified Simpson’s package. Thrombolysis times were compared to LV function as assessed by each method.

Results: Mean call to needle times increased with a more severe degree of LV dysfunction. Mean times were, Severe-254 mins, Moderate-Severe-122 mins, moderate-78 mins, mild-moderate-62 mins, mild-45 mins and good-42 mins. There was poor correlation between Modified Simpson’s measurements and thrombolysis times.

Conclusions: LV systolic function was found to be better with a shorter time between symptoms and treatment. The patients with the poorer graded function had mostly had a lengthened call to needle time. The visual eyeballing method was found to be the most accurate and reproducible method of LV assessment, as the Modified Simpson’s showed poor correlation and variability.

014 CHARACTERISATION OF A NEWLY DEVELOPED ULTRASONIC CONTRAST AGENT

C. M. Moran¹, J. Ross², I. Ansell², C. Oliver², M. Butler¹, J. Williamson¹, T. Anderson¹, N. McDicken¹, K. A. A. Fox³. ¹Medical Physics, …