Color M-mode and pulsed wave tissue Doppler echocardiography: Powerful predictors of cardiac events after first myocardial infarction☆☆☆

Abstract 

To assess the association between color M-mode flow propagation velocity and the early diastolic mitral annular velocity (E_m) obtained with tissue Doppler echocardiography and to assess the prognostic implications of the indexes, echocardiography was performed on days 1 and 5, and 1 and 3 months after a first myocardial infarction in 67 consecutive patients. Flow propagation velocity correlated well with E_m (r = 0.72, P < .0001). The ratio of peak E-wave velocity (E) to flow propagation velocity also correlated well with E/E_m (r = 0.87, P < .0001). The positive predictive value of E/FPV ≥1.5 to identify patients with Killip class ≥II was 90%, and the negative predictive value 92%. The corresponding values for E/E_m ≥10 were 70% and 90%. Cox proportional hazards analysis identified E/flow propagation velocity ≥1.5 (relative risk, 12.4 [95% confidence interval, 4.1-37.3]), E/E_m ≥10 (relative risk, 11.5 [95% confidence interval, 3.8-34.7]), and Killip class ≥II (relative risk, 7.8 [95% confidence interval, 1.6-40.4]) to be predictors of the composite end point of cardiac death and readmission because of heart failure. Thus flow propagation velocity and E_m are closely related after myocardial infarction and appear to have similar prognostic information. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2001;14:757-63.)