Comparison of Left Ventricular Global Longitudinal Strain and Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction in Acute Respiratory Failure Patients Requiring Invasive Mechanical Ventilation

Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction is associated with poor clinical outcomes in acute respiratory failure (ARF). This study evaluates the efficacy of LV strain in detecting LV dysfunction in ARF patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) compared to conventionally measured left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). ARF patients requiring IMV who had echocardiography performed during MICU admission were included. LV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS) and LVEF were measured retrospectively using speckle tracking (STE) and traditional transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), respectively, by investigators blinded to the status of IMV and clinical data. The cohort was divided into three groups: TTE during IMV (TTE-IMV), before IMV (TTE-bIMV), and after IMV (TTE-aIMV). Multivariable regression models, adjusted for illness severity score, chronic cardiac disease, acute respiratory failure etiology, body mass index, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, evaluated associations between LV function parameters and the presence of IMV. Among 376 patients, TTE-IMV, TTE-bIMV, and TTE-aIMV groups constituted 223, 68, and 85 patients, respectively. The median age was 65 years (IQR: 56-74), with 53.2% male participants. Adjusted models showed significantly higher LVGLS in groups not on IMV at the time of TTE (TTE-bIMV: β = 4.19, 95% CI 2.31 to 6.08, <i>p</i> < 0.001; TTE-aIMV: β = 3.79, 95% CI 2.03 to 5.55, <i>p</i> < 0.001), while no significant differences in LVEF were observed across groups. In a subgroup analysis of patients with LVEF ≥55%, the significant difference in LVGLS among the groups remained (TTE-bIMV: β = 4.18, 95% CI 2.22 to 6.15, <i>p</i> < 0.001; TTE-aIMV: β = 3.45, 95% CI 1.50 to 5.40, <i>p</i> < 0.001), but was no longer present in those with LVEF < 55%. This suggests an association between IMV and lower LVGLS in ARF patients requiring IMV, indicating that LVGLS may be a more sensitive marker for detecting subclinical LV dysfunction compared to LVEF in this population. Future studies should track and assess serial echocardiography data in the same cohort of patients pre-, during, and post-IMV in order to validate these findings and prognosticate STE-detected LV dysfunction in ARF patients requiring IMV.