Non-invasive assessment of myocardial function

Noninvasive assessment of myocardial function is discussed for the study of large populations, e.g. epidemiological surveys, for the study of subjects with great responsibility for safety, e.g. pilots, for the study of the cardiac effects of drugs and for the sequential follow-up patients. Phonocardiographic and mechanocardiographic methods used at the bedside are discussed. The apparatus consists of a phonocardiograph and of a sensitive pressure transducer with a DC-output or a long TC (>2 s) and a recorder. This allows the recording of venous and arterial waves and of the apexcardiogram. Different methods for calibration are available