Cardiac dysfunction in unselected chronic alcoholic patients: noninvasive screening by systolic time intervals

Chronic alcoholism produces abnormal cardiac function even in asymptomatic patients free of other disease. Sixty unselected chronic alcoholics, 52 of whom proved to have symptoms and signs consistent with various disorders (cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and neurologic), were evaluated by systolic time intervals. Both the group as a whole and separately when subgrouped by associated diseases, showed evidence of cardiac malfunction on the basis of decreased left ventricular ejection time and abnormally increased ratio of pre-ejection time to ejection time.