The browser you are using is not supported by this website. All versions of Internet Explorer are no longer supported, either by us or Microsoft (read more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/windows/end-of-ie-support).

Please use a modern browser to fully experience our website, such as the newest versions of Edge, Chrome, Firefox or Safari etc.

Gustav Smith, MD, PhD

Gustav Smith

Associate professor

Gustav Smith, MD, PhD

Impact of gender on echocardiographic characteristics in heart transplant recipients

Author

  • Annika Ingvarsson
  • Anna Werther-Evaldsson
  • Gustav J. Smith
  • Johan Waktare
  • Johan Nilsson
  • Martin Stagmo
  • Anders Roijer
  • Göran Rådegran
  • Carl Meurling

Summary, in English

Aims: Assessment following heart transplantation (HTx) is routinely performed using transthoracic echocardiography. Differences in long-term mortality following HTx related to donor-recipient matching have been reported, but effects of gender on cardiac size and function are not well studied. The aims of this study were to evaluate differences in echocardiographic characteristics of HTx recipients defined by gender. Methods and results: The study prospectively enrolled 123 (n = 34 female) HTx recipients of which 23 recipients was donor-recipient gender mismatched. Patients were examined with 2-dimensional echocardiography using Philips iE33 ultrasound system. Data were analysed across strata based on recipient gender and gender mismatch. Male recipients had larger left ventricular (LV) mass, thicker septal wall (P<0·001) and larger absolute LV volumes (P<0·001). Mean LV ejection fraction (EF) was higher in females (P<0·05), but no differences in conventional parameters of right ventricular (RV) function were found. Ventricular strain was higher in females than in males: LV global longitudinal strain (P<0·01), RV global longitudinal strain (P<0·05) and RV lateral free wall (P<0·05). The male group receiving a female donor heart had comparable EF and strain parameters to the female group receiving a gender-matched heart. Conclusion: We found that female recipient gender was associated with smaller chamber size, higher LV EF and better LV and RV longitudinal strain. Gender-mismatched male recipients appeared to exhibit function parameters similar to gender-matched female recipients. Our results indicate that the gender aspect, analogous to current reference guidelines in general population, should be taken into consideration when examining patients post-HTx.

Department/s

  • Cardiology
  • Molecular Epidemiology and Cardiology
  • EXODIAB: Excellence of Diabetes Research in Sweden
  • EpiHealth: Epidemiology for Health
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics in Cardiothoracic Sciences (AIBCTS)
  • Heart and Lung transplantation
  • Minimal invasive cardiac surgery in valvular heart disease

Publishing year

2019

Language

English

Pages

246-254

Publication/Series

Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging

Volume

39

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Topic

  • Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems

Keywords

  • 2-dimensional echocardiography
  • allograft
  • gender mismatch
  • heart transplantation
  • speckle tracking
  • strain

Status

Published

Research group

  • Molecular Epidemiology and Cardiology
  • Artificial Intelligence and Bioinformatics in Cardiothoracic Sciences (AIBCTS)
  • Heart and Lung transplantation
  • Minimal invasive cardiac surgery in valvular heart disease

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1475-0961