Abstract:OBJECTIVE: To study the role of Tei index in the evaluation of left ventricular dysfunction in neonates with hypoxemia. METHODS: Fifty-two neonates with hypoxemia (20 mild, 16 moderate, 16 severe) and 40 normal neonates (control group) were enrolled. On postnatal days 1, 3 and 7, Doppler echocardiography was used to measure the indexes reflecting systolic and diastolic cardiac functions: ejection fraction of left ventricular (LVEF), E/A ratio of mitral value and Tei index of left ventricular (LV-Tei). RESULTS: LVEF and E/A ratio of left ventricular in the moderate hypoxemia group were significantly lower than those in the control group on postnatal days 1 and 3 (P<0.01). LVEF and E/A ratio of left ventricular in the severe hypoxemia group were significantly lower than those in the control group on postnatal days 1, 3 and 7 (P<0.01 or 0.05). Compared with the control group, LV-Tei increased significantly in the mild hypoxemia group on postnatal day 1 and increased significantly in the moderate and severe hypoxemia groups on postnatal days 1 and 3 (P<0.01). There was a negative correlation between PaO2 and LV-Tei in the hypoxemia group on postnatal days 1 and 3 (r=-0.50, P<0.05; r=-0.71, P<0.01 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: LV-Tei can be used as a sensitive indicator for the evaluation of left ventricular dysfunction in neonates with hypoxemia.
