Non-invasive Pressure-Volume Analysis (NIPVA)

Background: Current methods to evaluate left ventricular (LV) function either are invasive, precluding routine use in the majority of patients, or fail to discriminate myocardial, hemodynamic and structural factors, rendering assessment imprecise and incomplete. Key question: Can we reliably obtain LV functional characteristics by non-invasive means, while being able to differentiate more precisely the factors involved? Proposed research: The study team aims to develop a non-invasive method for pressure-volume analysis (NIPVA) of the LV by combining echo-Doppler, peripheral blood pressure measurements and biomechanical modelling. The validity of this approach will be established by comparison with gold standard invasive measurements of pressure-volume relationships in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. Test-retest reproducibility will be also assessed. The study team hypothesises that NIPVA will provide reproducible and valid measures of LV function and be more widely applicable.