Beyond initial recovery: Heart failure with transient vs sustained improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction

Table 4 Echocardiographic parameters of the included patients

Variable	Transient improvement (n = 39)	Sustained improvement (n = 136)	P value
Baseline (Echo-1)
LVEF (%)	30.56 ± 6.95	26.77 ± 7.05	0.003
Average E/e’	15.01 ± 5.88 (n = 20)	14.52 ± 5.78 (n = 67)	0.74
LA volume index (mL/m2)	35.97 ± 12.51 (n = 25)	37.09 ± 11.35 (n = 82)	0.68
LVEDD (cm)	5.76 ± 0.79 (n = 37)	6.70 ± 4.17 (n = 130)	0.18
LVESD (cm)	4.76 ± 0.84 (n = 34)	5.08 ± 0.89 (n = 115)	0.80
RVSP (mmHg)	33.46 ± 11.06	37.35 ± 12.89 (n = 130)	0.13
Second follow-up (Echo-3)
LVEF (%)	28.46 ± 6.59	40.18 ± 0.12	0.001
Average E/e’	13.12 ± 5.46 (n = 19)	12.08 ± 5.86 (n = 77)	0.49
LA volume index (mL/m2)	41.41 ± 12.92 (n = 31)	34.30 ± 11.26 (n = 114)	0.003
LVEDD (cm)	6.06 ± 0.62 (n = 38)	5.81 ± 0.89 (n = 134)	0.05
LVESD (cm)	4.99 ± 0.75 (n = 37)	4.50 ± 0.95 (n = 131)	0.004
RVSP (mmHg)	38.78 ± 14.61 (n = 37)	33.10 ± 11.82 (n = 129)	0.04
LVEF (Echo-2)	38.59 ± 7.57	36.33 ± 7.69	0.11
∆ LVEF (Echo-2 - Echo-1) (%)	8.05 ± 6.53	9.54 ± 7.69	0.27
Duration between Echo-1 and Echo-2 (months)	19.82 ± 26.61	17.24 ± 21.15	0.53
∆ LVEF (Echo-3 - Echo-1) (%)	-2.10 ± 5.05	13.43 ± 9.09	0.001
Duration between Echo-2 and Echo-3 (months)	20.49 ± 13.40	21.79 ± 23.39	0.74

Data are presented as mean ± SD. Echo-1: First (or baseline) echocardiogram; Echo-2: Second echocardiographic examination at first follow-up; Echo-3: Third echocardiographic; LA: Left atrium/atrial; LVEDD: Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter; LVEF: Left ventricular ejection fraction; LVESD: Left ventricular ejection fraction; RVSP: Right ventricular systolic pressure.