Prompt return to normal of depressed right ventricular ejection fraction in acute inferior infarction.

Abstract

A relatively simple, bedside, radionuclide technique has been developed to measure right ventricular ejection fraction. This technique uses a collimated scintillation probe (5 x 5 cm sodium iodide crystal) and 113mIndium injected into the superior vena cava to record a right ventricular time-activity curve. The radionuclide method was validated in 34 men (14 normals, 20 with coronary artery disease) with biplane right ventriculo- graphy (r= 0 82). Using this radionuclide method right ventricular ejection fraction was measured in 26 men (average age 51 years) with an acute transmural myocardial infarction. Right ventricular ejection 'Presented in part at the annual meeting of the Central Society for curie of lamlndium was injected into a catheter Clinical Research, Chicago, Illinois, November 1976. placed in the superior vena cava and flushed with 'Supported by research funds of the Veterans Administration.