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Pregnant women

Acoustic Cardiography Shows Promise in Early Preeclampsia Detection

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A recent study published in Clinical Cardiology has found that acoustic cardiography (ACG) may be a useful tool in detecting preeclampsia, a leading cause of maternal morbidity, at an early stage. Researchers from Nanjing Medical University conducted an observational case-control study, analyzing data from 59 pregnant women, 28 of whom were controls and 31 of whom had preeclampsia. The study found that ACG-derived parameters, such as left ventricular ejection time (LVET) and Q2S2Max, were significantly prolonged in the preeclampsia group, correlating with increased cardiac afterload and vascular stiffness.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study revealed that ACG-derived parameters, such as LVET and Q2S2Max, were significantly prolonged in the preeclampsia group (320.28 +/- 26.79 ms vs. 301.32 +/- 35.42 ms, p = 0.026 and 426.10 +/- 29.46 vs. 403.96 +/- 33.28, p = 0.010).
  • The researchers found that combining LVET with hypertension history enhanced the diagnostic efficacy for preeclampsia risk prediction (AUC = 0.776, specificity 77.8%).
  • The study highlights ACG as a promising tool for cardiovascular risk stratification in pregnancy, warranting further validation in larger cohorts.
  • The research was supported by the Research Project of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Health Commission.
  • The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Qiong Huang from Nanjing Medical University, including Chunping Tang, Ningtian Zhou, Xinxin Zhang, Miao Wang, Yiyuan Xiong, and Yingxia Zhu.

Statistics:

  • Overall, the study analyzed data from 59 pregnant women, with 28 controls and 31 preeclampsia cases.
  • The LVET was significantly prolonged in the preeclampsia group (320.28 +/- 26.79 ms vs. 301.32 +/- 35.42 ms, p = 0.026).
  • The Q2S2Max was significantly elevated in the preeclampsia group (426.10 +/- 29.46 vs. 403.96 +/- 33.28, p = 0.010).
  • The study had a moderate diagnostic efficacy for LVET alone (AUC = 0.658, sensitivity 72.4%, specificity 57.1%) and improved performance when combined with hypertension history (AUC = 0.776, specificity 77.8%).

Sources:

  • Huang, Q., et al. (2025). Acoustic Cardiography (Acg) for Left Ventricular Ejection Time (Lvet) Monitoring In Preeclampsia Risk Prediction. Clinical Cardiology, 48(9).
  • Wiley (publisher). (n.d.). Clinical Cardiology. Retrieved from onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1932-8737

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