Speckle tracking-derived left atrial strain rate – undervalued and useful predictor of adverse events

• Published in: European heart journal Vol. 43; no. Supplement_2
• Main Authors: Kupczynska, K, Miskowiec, D, Michalski, B W, Wejner-Mik, P, Lipiec, P, Kasprzak, J D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 03.10.2022
• ISSN: 0195-668X; 1522-9645
• DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac544.067

Abstract Background Strain rate reflects the rate of change of the distance between two points of the myocardium occurring in the cardiac cycle. It is a time-dependent parameter requiring higher temporal resolution than standard strain assessment. Because of this limitation, speckle tracking-derived left atrial (LA) strain rate analysis is of less interest in the literature. Purpose To analyze the prognostic value of LA strain rate during 2-years follow-up in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods The prospective study involved 80 patients with nonvalvular AF scheduled for elective electrical cardioversion (mean age 63.5±13 years, 60% male). All patients underwent echo before cardioversion and 24 hours after conversion to sinus rhythm. We analyzed standard echocardiographic parameters. Using the speckle-tracking method, we assessed LA strain rate during ventricular systole LA-SSR, in the early stage of ventricular diastole LA-ESR, and during atrial active pump phase LA-ASR. The last one is possible to measure only in the sinus rhythm. The analysis included 4-chamber and 2-chamber views. The clinical endpoint was predefined as AF recurrence. Results Median time of the current AF episode was 2.1 (IQR 0.5–5) months. Standard echo measurements revealed a median left ventricular ejection fraction of 55% (IQR 46–58) and the median of LA volume indexed to body surface area 42 ml/m2 (IQR 33–51). The successful cardioversion rate was 90%. During follow-up, we noticed AF recurrence in 49 (68%) patients. The median time-to-event was 2 (IQR 1 to 6.9) months. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that LA-SSR <−0.73 s–1 (AUC=0.745; p=0.0004) and LA-ESR >−1 s–1 (AUC=0.703; p=0.0015) assessed during AF as well as LA-ESR >−0.88 s–1 (AUC=0.644; p=0.04) and LA-ASR >−1 s–1 (AUC=0.837; p<0.0001) measured in sinus rhythm were the optimal cut-off values for predicting AF recurrence. The figure presents Kaplan-Meier survival analysis for AF recurrence. Conclusions Speckle tracking-derived LA strain rate predicts the recurrence of AF after successful electrical cardioversion. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: None.