Right ventricular global longitudinal strain and short-term prognosis in patients with first acute coronary syndrome

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is recognized as an adverse prognostic feature in patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS). However, conventional echocardiographic indices for the evaluation of RV function have considerable limitations. Right Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain (RV GLS) is a novel speckle-tracking echocardiographic index that assesses the overall intramyocardial function of the RV free wall and interventricular septum. Purpose The present study aimed to investigate the short-term prognostic value of RV GLS in patients with first ACS. Methods A total of 300 consecutive patients with first ACS (mean age 61.2±11.8 years, 74% males) were prospectively studied. A comprehensive transthoracic echocardiographic assessment was undertaken within 24 hours after revascularization and in-hospital mortality was assessed. Multiple multivariable Cox Regression analysis models were constructed to compare the predictive value of RV function indices for in-hospital mortality. Only significant variables (P