Usefulness of Left Atrial Volume in Predicting First Congestive Heart Failure in Patients ≥65 Years of Age With Well-Preserved Left Ventricular Systolic Function

Left atrial (LA) volume is a barometer of diastolic dysfunction. Whether it predicts congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with preserved left ventricular (LV) systolic function is not known. Olmsted County, Minnesota, residents aged ≥65 years referred for transthoracic echocardiography from 1990 to 1998, who were in sinus rhythm without a history of CHF were followed in the medical records to 2003 (mean follow-up duration 4.3 ± 2.7 years)....