Адреса и телефон

Cycling may help diagnose heart failure

16 Sep Sep 2022
2022

It should be mentioned that last year, our scientists examined patients who had a severe form of coronavirus and found they had impaired heart contractility. Until now, these patients are under the supervision of our doctors and continue to be examined on the basis of our center. This year, another examination was added to their diagnostic procedures: stress echocardiography, which is performed by recumbent bicycle (veloergometer).


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Nikita Shirokov MD, Ph.D, cardiologist, Doctor of Ultrasound Diagnostics, one of members of scientific team, shared that about a half of our patients had latent contractile dysfunction of the heart after suffering COVID-19, which can lead to development of heart failure. Nowadays our aim is to identify the earliest form of heart failure, in which the heart is not able to adequately fill with blood during exercise. This is how dyspnea is formed, for example, when climbing stairs. To find out it, stress echocardiography is performed.

Now, scientists have examined more than 100 patients, whose average age is 50 years old.

Dr. Shirokov said that some patients had positive stress tests and development of chronic heart failure was detected at an early stage. By the end of 2022, he explained, the work would be completed, data received would be processed and then analysis would be conducted to find out what causes of those changes.


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The examination is considered in such a way that it can only be carried out on this device. At the same time, during the procedure, ECG, pulse, blood pressure are recorded and an ultrasound examination of the heart is performed. Two doctors (ultrasound and functional diagnostics specialists) are involved in the procedure. They monitor markers and, if necessary, can stop the procedure if blood pressure rises too high or heart rhythm disturbances appear. The key indication for the procedure is dyspnea. In this case, the cardiologist directs the patient to a traditional ultrasound of the heart, and based on its results, he decides to conduct a stress test.


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It is important to mention that such patients will not stay without treatment. At the end of September, results of two large studies concerning drugs for this group of patients will be presented at the National Congress of Cardiology in Kazan. Scientists said that the study of stress echocardiography also contribute diagnose coronary artery disease more accurately. This fact will be especially relevant not within the scientific study, but for outpatients at the stage of primary diagnosis.

Moreover, not every diagnostician can learn to manipulate the device and not everewhere. Dr. Shirokov, for example, was trained in Tomsk Competence Center of Cardiology Research Institute. Nikita Evgenievich is working on future scientific research together with Anna Mikhailovna Soldatova, MD, PhD, and Chairperson of our Young Investigators Council.

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