Perioperative changes of the slope in the preload recruitable stroke work relationship by a single-beat technique after mitral valve surgery in functional mitral regurgitation with non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy

Objectives The slope in the preload recruitable stroke work relationship is a highly linear, load-insensitive contractile parameter. However, the perioperative change of the slope has not been reported before. We examined the perioperative slope from a steady-state single beat in patients with functional mitral regurgitation and assessed the correlation with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels.