Peer Reviewed
ECG education

Diastolic dysfunction

Vivienne Miller
Abstract
A 75-year-old woman with longstanding hypertension reports episodic irregularity of her pulse. Subsequent tests reveal diastolic dysfunction. What are the ECG signs of diastolic dysfunction?
Key Points
  • The P wave is the main electrical wave to occur during diastole.
  • The risk of diastolic dysfunction increases with age and the condition is very common.
  • Systolic heart failure is always associated with diastolic dysfunction, but the converse is not always true.
  • ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and calcium channel blockers can improve left ventricular relaxation in diastolic dysfunction.
Get full access
Subscribe for full access to all articles
Buy this article

Single article purchases are temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance.

If you would like to purchase an article during this time, please email us at [email protected] with the article details and we'll assist you directly. We'll also let you know when online purchasing is available again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Already a subscriber?