RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Early prediction of improvement in ejection fraction after acute myocardial infarction using low dose dobutamine echocardiography JF Heart JO Heart FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Cardiovascular Society SP 592 OP 596 DO 10.1136/heart.88.6.592 VO 88 IS 6 A1 F Nijland A1 O Kamp A1 P M J Verhorst A1 W G de Voogt A1 C A Visser YR 2002 UL http://heart.bmj.com/content/88/6/592.abstract AB Objective: To evaluate the relation between changes in ejection fraction during the first three months after acute myocardial infarction and myocardial viability.Patients: Myocardial viability was assessed using low dose dobutamine echocardiography in 107 patients at mean (SD) 3 (1) days after acute myocardial infarction. Cross sectional echocardiography was repeated three months later. Left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction were determined from apical views using the Simpson biplane formula.Results: In patients with viability, ejection fraction increased by 4.4 (4.3)%; in patients without viability it remained unchanged (0.04 (3.6)%; p < 0.001). A ≥ 5% increase in ejection fraction was present in 21 of 107 patients (20%). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that myocardial viability in ≥ 2 segments predicted this increase in ejection fraction with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 65%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to define which clinical and echocardiographic variables were related to ≥ 5% improvement in ejection fraction. Myocardial viability, non-Q wave infarction, and anterior infarction all emerged as independent predictors, myocardial viability being the best (χ2 = 14.5; p = 0.0001). Using the regression equation, the probability of ≥ 5% improvement in ejection fraction for patients with a non-Q wave anterior infarct with viability was 73%, and for patients with a Q wave inferior infarct without viability, only 2%.Conclusions: Myocardial viability after acute myocardial infarction is the single best predictor of improvement in ejection fraction. In combination with infarct location and Q wave presence, the probability of ≥ 5% improvement can be estimated in individual patients at the bedside.