Left ventricular muscle and fluid mechanics in acute myocardial infarction.

Left ventricular (LV) diastolic filling is characterized by the formation of intraventricular rotational bodies of fluid (termed "vortex rings") that optimize the efficiency of LV ejection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the morphology and dynamics of LV diastolic vortex ring formation early after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), in relation to LV diastolic function and infarct size. A total of 94 patients with a first ST-segment elevation AMI (59 ± 11 years; 78% men) were included. All patients underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention. After 48 hours, the following examinations were performed: 2-dimensional echocardiography with speckle-tracking analysis to assess the LV systolic and diastolic function, the vortex formation time (VFT, a dimensionless index for characterizing vortex formation), and the LV untwisting rate; contrast echocardiography to assess LV vortex morphology; and myocardial contrast echocardiography to identify the infarct size. Patients with a large infarct size (?3 LV segments) had a significantly lower VFT (p