Myocardial performance index evaluated with tissue doppler echocardiography at early, intermediate and late phase of acute myocardial infarction

In this study, ejection fraction% (EF%) and myocardial performance index (MPI) were recorded in 67 survivors at early, intermediate and late phase of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) .EF% was echocardiographically obtained by the Simpson's method; MPI was calculated using Tissue Doppler Echocardiography (TDE) derived from isovolumetric contraction time (ICT); isovolumetric relaxation time (IRT) and ejection time (ET). Results were compared with those obtained in 70 controls matched for age and sex. At hospital discharge (early evaluation), EF% was 50%, MPI was still increased, with slight rise in ICT, almost normalization in ET, but more evident increase in IRT. The outcomes of MPI demonstrate that in post-AMI patients, late prevalent diastolic ventricular dysfunction occurs following an early systolic dysfunction. In this study, EF% appears to be less sensitive than MPI in defining late post-AMI left ventricular dysfunction. Finally, TDE seems to be more sensitive than conventional Doppler method in measuring MPI.