Non-invasive assessment of ventricular-arterial coupling: correlation between myocardial work and the pulse wave velocity parameters

Introduction: The myocardial work (MW) is a new echocardiographic method, based on the pressure-strain loop, which allows quantifying the cardiac performance. On the other hand, the pulse wave velocity (PWV) evaluates arterial stiffness, knowing that as the stiffness of an artery increases, the transmission velocity of the anterograde and the retrograde sphygmic wave increases. Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the correlation between MW and PWV parameters. Methods: We enrolled consecutively all patients without cardiovascular disease who underwent transthoracic Doppler echocardiography between June 2021 and July 2022. The MW parameters were derived from the strain-pressure loop, including in its calculation the measurement non-invasive arterial pressure, according to standard speckle tracking echocardiography recommendations. The PWV measurement was obtained by tonometry at the level of the common carotid artery and the common femoral artery. Results: We enrolled 66 patients (mean age: 30.7±8.6 years). There was a signifi cant inversely proportional correlation between PWV and GWE (r = –0.317; p <0.01) meanwhile there was a directly proportional correlation with GWW (r = 0.324; p <0.01). The statistically signifi cant correlation remained in the female and male subgroups for GWE (female: r = –0.280; p <0.05; male: r = –0.362; p <0.05) and GWW (female: r = 0.359; p <0.05; male: r = 0.359; p <0.05). Conclusion: The relationship between MW and PWV as a demonstration of ventricular arterial coupling may potentially be a useful tool in the early recognition of subclinical cardiovascular dysfunction.