Left ventricular functions in children with chronic pulmonary diseases

We evaluated left ventricular (LV) functions in 32 patients with chronic pulmonary diseases (CPDs) and compared them to 16 healthy controls. Echocardiographic assessment of both systolic and diastolic parameters of LV was performed for all patients and controls. LV systolic functions were found to be preserved in mild states, but with evident hypoxia the aortic acceleration and deceleration times decreased. LV diastolic functions were impaired in cases with pulmonary hypertension as reflected by a decreased ratio of peak flow velocity of early filling to peak flow velocity of late filling.