Echocardiographic Monitoring of Patients with Heart Failure

Abstract

Department of Cardiology, General Hospital "Prim. dr Abdulah Nakas", Kranjcevićeva 12, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Twenty seven patients diagnosed as having systolic heart failure with Ejection Fraction (EF) of less than 40% by echocardiography were monitored over a period of 3 years. The monitored parameters included clinical symptoms, diastolic dysfunction, therapies and survival during three years of treatment. The results indicate a beneficial effect of treatment with high doses of ACE-inhibitors, spironolactone and beta-blockers in improving clinical symptoms and diastolic function. The survival rate was similar to that in the developed European countries.

Keywords

• echocardiogram
• systolic dysfunction
• diastolic dysfunction
• mortality and survival rate