查看文章

Objectives: To characterise the clinical features of patients with suspected heart failure but preserved left ventricular systolic function to determine if they have other potential causes for their symptoms rather than being diagnosed with “diastolic heart failure.”

Design: Prospective descriptive study.

Setting: Outpatient based direct access echocardiography service.

Participants: 159 consecutive patients with suspected heart failure referred by general practitioners.

Main outcome measures: Symptoms (including shortness of breath, ankle oedema, and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea) and history of coronary heart disease and chronic pulmonary disease. Transthoracic echocardiography, body mass index, pulmonary function tests, and electrocardiography.

Results: 109 of 159 participants had suspected heart failure in the absence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, valvular heart disease, or atrial fibrillation. Of these …