Ramzuzaman Ismail, Arif Hussain

AIM

The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of performing myocardial strain analysis as a point of care test for immediate post-cardiac surgery patients in the cardiac intensive care unit.

METHODS

Myocardial strain analysis was attempted on 20 post-cardiac surgery patients admitted consecutively into adult cardiac intensive care unit.

The study was performed with portable ultrasound (Samsung HM70A, Korea) equipped with myocardial strain analysis software package.

Optimal echocardiographic image is required in order to obtain accurate myocardial strain results1.

Efforts to optimise echocardiographic image such as adjusting gain, frequency, depth, sector width and edge enhance were undertaken.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients were deemed to have optimal image for strain analysis.

The median time to perform the study was 16 ± 12 minutes.

The major hindrance to obtain optimal image are presence of surgical dressing and inability to position the patient in left lateral.

CONCLUSION

Myocardial strain analysis is feasible in most patients immediate post-cardiac surgery.