Ventricular Dysfunction Left/chemically induced

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Letter to the Editor

Subclinical Ventricular Dysfunction Detected by Speckle-Tracking Two Years after Use of Anthracycline

Aguinaldo Figueiredo Freitas Jr et al. Raquel Oliveira Santos Salvador Rassi

Dear Editor

We would like to congratulate the authors for the publication of their article “Subclinical Ventricular Dysfunction Detected by Speckle-Tracking Two Years after Use of Anthracycline”, considering the great practical applicability of the theme. Cardiotoxicity secondary to chemotherapy drugs is a reality that imposes, on cardiologists and oncologists, the challenge of prevention and/or early detection of this complication, which has high morbidity and mortality.

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Original Article

Subclinical Ventricular Dysfunction Detected by Speckle Tracking Two Years after Use of Anthracycline

André Luiz Cerqueira de Almeida et al. Viviane Almeida Silva Alberto Teófilo de Souza Filho Vinicius Guedes Rios … João Ricardo Pinto Lopes Samuel Oliveira de Afonseca Daniel de Castro Araújo Cunha Murilo Oliveira da Cunha Mendes Danilo Leal Miranda Edval Gomes dos Santos Júnior

Background:

Heart failure is a severe complication associated with doxorubicin (DOX) use. Strain, assessed by two-dimensional speckle tracking (2D-STE), has been shown to be useful in identifying subclinical ventricular dysfunction.

Objectives:

a) To investigate the role of strain in the identification of subclinical ventricular dysfunction in patients who used DOX; b) to investigate determinants of strain response in these patients.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study with 81 participants: 40 patients who used DOX ±2 years before the study and 41 controls. All participants had left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥55%. Total dose of DOX was 396mg (242mg/ms²). The systolic function of the LV was evaluated by LVEF (Simpson), as well as by longitudinal (ε_LL), circumferential (ε_CC), and radial (ε_RR) strains. Multivariate linear regression (MLR) analysis was performed using ε_LL (model 1) and ε_CC (model 2) as dependent variables.

Results:

Systolic and diastolic blood pressure values were higher in the control group (p < 0.05). ε_LL was lower in the DOX group (-12.4 ±2.6%) versus controls (-13.4 ± 1.7%; p = 0.044). The same occurred with ε_CC: -12.1 ± 2.7% (DOX) versus -16.7 ± 3.6% (controls; p < 0.001). The S’ wave was shorter in the DOX group (p = 0.035). On MLR, DOX was an independent predictor of reduced ε_CC (B = -4.429, p < 0.001). DOX (B = -1.289, p = 0.012) and age (B = -0.057, p = 0.029) were independent markers of reduced ε_LL.

Conclusion:

a) ε_LL, ε_CC and the S’ wave are reduced in patients who used DOX ±2 years prior to the study despite normal LVEF, suggesting the presence of subclinical ventricular dysfunction; b) DOX was an independent predictor of reduced ε_CC; c) prior use of DOX and age were independent markers of reduced ε_LL.