PHONOCARDIOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENT OF MYOCARDIAL FUNCTION IN AGED

Phonocardiography was used to measure the time intervals from electrical excitation to the onset of the first heart sound (Q-S1) and to the beginning of the carotid up-stroke (Q-CU) as well as left ventricular ejection time in elderly subjects with and without apparent heart disease. The mean Q-S1 and Q-CU intervals were identical in the two groups but were significantly longer than in a group of young normal subjects. The results support the views that myocardial contractility decreases with age and that this aging process is independent of clinically recognizable heart disease. © 1969.