Assessment of left ventricular twist by 3D ballistocardiography and seismocardiography compared with 2D STI echocardiography in a context of enhanced inotropism in healthy subjects

Ballistocardiography (BCG) and Seismocardiography (SCG) assess the vibrations produced by cardiac contraction and blood flow, respectively, by means of micro-accelerometers and micro-gyroscopes. From the BCG and SCG signals, maximal velocities (V(Max)), integral of kinetic energy (iK), and maximal power (P(Max)) can be computed as scalar parameters, both in linear and rotational dimensions. Standard echocardiography and 2-dimensional speckle tracking imaging echocardiography were performed on 34 healthy volunteers who were infused with increasing doses of dobutamine (5–10–20 μg/kg/min). Linear V(Max) of BCG predicts the rates of left ventricular (LV) twisting and untwisting (both p < 0.0001). The linear P(Max) of both SCG and BCG and the linear iK of BCG are the best predictors of the LV ejection fraction (LVEF) (p < 0.0001). This result is further confirmed by mathematical models combining the metrics from SCG and BCG signals with heart rate, in which both linear P(Max) and iK strongly correlate with LVEF (R = 0.7, p < 0.0001). In this setting of enhanced inotropism, the linear V(Max) of BCG, rather than the V(Max) of SCG, is the metric which best explains the LV twist mechanics, in particular the rates of twisting and untwisting. P(Max) and iK metrics are strongly associated with the LVEF and account for 50% of the variance of the LVEF.