Studies on Apexcardiogram : (II) Cardiac Dynamics in Older Subjects, Hypertensives and Patients with Heart Diseases

Abstract

Recently it has been shown that the apexcardiogram (ACG) is an useful procedure to evaluate the pathophysiological state of the heart in various diseases. In the previous paper the author reported the data of analyses of rapid filling wave and diastolic filling wave of the ACG and of cardiac dynamics by the ACG method in normal subjects. The present paper is concerned with the data of analyses of these factors in older subjects, hypertensives and patients with ischemic heart disease and with various valvular diseases. In addition, relationships between the O point of the ACG and the opening snap in mitral valvular diseases have been studied. Subjects and Methods Investigations were carried out on 151 individuals. Group of older subjects consisted of 39 individuals without cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases, ranging from 60 to 86 years of age with an average of 68 years. Fifty hypertensive individuals had no marked changes in the ECG, and ranged in age from 20 to 76 years, with an aver-age of 46 years. The group with coronary heart disease (CHD) consisted of 20 patients who had ischemic findings in the ECG or old myocardial infarction, but no high blood pressure, ranging from 45 to 74 years of age, with an average of 61 years. The group with valvular diseases consisted of 18 patients with mitral stenosis, ranging from 30 to 62 years of age, with an average of 45 years, 6 patients with mitral stenoinsufficiency, ranging from 25 to 58 years of age, with an average of 43 years, 6 patients with mitral insufficiency, ranging from 17 to 74 years of age, with an average of 41 years, and 12 patients with aortic valvular diseases (aortic stenosis- 2 cases, aortic stenoinsufficiency- 4 cases and aortic in-sufficiency- 6 cases) who ranged from 17 to 71 years of age, with an average of 31 years. Method of recording the ACG and analysis of cardiac dynamics by the ACG method were reported in the previous paper.