Reduced right atrial contractile force in patients with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction: A study in human atrial fibers—contractile force and diastolic dysfunction

Summary Background/Objective The aim of our study was to evaluate right heart contractile force in patients with diastolic dysfunction (DD) with preserved left heart ejection fraction undergoing cardiac surgery. We examined the contractile properties of skinned human fibers obtained from the right auricle in two groups (DD and controls). Methods Right atrial tissue from 64 patients, who were undergoing cardiac surgery, were collected before extracorporal circulation. Tissue was conserved and prepared as "skinned fibers". We exposed the dissected fibers to increasing calcium concentrations and recorded the force values. Results Patients with DD develop significantly less force at middle and …