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A Study Left Ventricular Volume Change Measurement using Nuclear Stethoscope

In the present study, we developed a nuclear stethoscope interfaced with a personal computer (APPLE- II) and evaluated it's performances as compared with the gamma camera. This single-probe, ECG-gated system has been used for displaying the left ventricular time-activity curves, the peak ejection time and its rate, the peak filling time and its rate, and the R-R interval distribution. The radioactivity was measured at every 10msec around the ventricular region, where the activity curves shows the maximal peak to peak variations. The background activity was measured around the lung area showing its counts approximately 50% of the end-diastolic count with minimal variations. The average time-activity curves of 100 beats were used for analysis in the equilibrium study after intravenous injection of 15-20mCi of Tc. The ejection fractions measured by the nuclear stethoscope(Y) were compared with those measured by gamma camera(X) in 47 patients with various heart diseases. The correlation coefficient between two measurements was 0.766 with a relation of Y=1.04 x-8.48. Also, the high reproducibility was obtained for the same patient. Also, the high reproducibility was obtained for the same patient. From this study, we conclude that this device is useful for continuous monitoring in the intensive care unit, as it is portable, compact, and inexpensive.