Heart Failure

Heart Failure is a growing epidemic, and is responsible for 1 million hospitalizations per year in the United States alone (information from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, USA). Fortunately many new pharmaceutical therapies and technologies have been developed to treat this increasing population.

About 25% of heart failure patients also suffer from left ventricular (LV) mechanical dyssynchrony. The integrated function of all heart chambers are key determinants of heart failure. Nonuniformities of mechanical contraction, or dyssynchrony can lead to inefficient pump performance and energy expenditure in cardiac patients. Consequently, these patients experience suboptimal ventricular filling, a reduction in LV dP/dt (rate of rise of ventricular contractile force or pressure), prolonged duration of mitral regurgitation, and paradoxical septal wall motion. Ventricular dyssynchrony has also been associated with increased mortality in HF.

Acoustic cardiography, a new non-invasive technology, is helping clinicians better manage their heart failure patients by providing an innovative diagnostic tool. The technology simultaneously integrates heart sounds and ECG data to generate multiple parameters that correlate to established hemodynamic functions. Click here to learn more about how acoustic cardiography can help clinicians manage their heart failure patients.