Espen Bøe
- Researcher, Cardiologist, MD, PhD
- +47 230 71404
Bøe completed his MD at University of Newcastle, Australia in 2005. After his internship at Haukeland University Hospital and a year in the Military, he worked in internal medicine at Akershus University Hospital before starting as a PhD student. Bøe has also taken a Master’s degree in health leadership, quality improvement and health economics at the University of Bergen. His research focuses on cardiac mechanics in LV dyssynchrony and ischemia.
Bøe successfully defended his PhD thesis "Evaluation of left ventricular function by pressure-volume and pressure-dimension analyses: Studies in myocardial ischemia and ventricular dyssynchrony" in June 2018. In this thesis, pressure-volume and pressure-dimension analyses, during ventricular pacing (experimentally) and myocardial ischemia (clinically), were used to investigate regional and global left ventricular (LV) function.
First, potential beneficial mechanisms of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) and LV pacing in heart failure with narrow QRS were explored. LV pacing improved LV filling during baseline and heart failure with increased external constraint, however, systolic function was impaired by CRT and LV pacing due to pacing-induced dyssynchrony.
In a similar fashion, the acute effect of CRT on ventricular function during left bundle branch block was assessed using both load-dependent and load-independent parameters. CRT improved LV performance acutely by increasing ventricular efficiency demonstrated by unaltered or increased parameters of systolic function at a reduced preload. The reduction in preload attenuated CRT related improvements in conventional parameters of systolic function, which are used clinically.
Finally, in a clinical study, a non-invasive method of calculating regional myocardial work was compared to strain echocardiography at identifying acute coronary occlusion (ACO) in patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome. The myocardial work index identified ACO with a higher sensitivity and specificity compared to strain. Further analysis showed that strain was sensitive to changes in load.
This research contributes to the understanding and assessment of CRT’s effect on cardiac function during normal and dyssynchronous electrical activation. Further, it shows that the myocardial work index was superior to current echocardiographic methods by accounting for the effect of load on myocardial shortening. The thesis demonstrates the ongoing need for experimental studies and pressure-volume analysis to understand current topics in cardiology.
Publications 2023
Phenotyping heart failure by echocardiography: imaging of ventricular function and haemodynamics at rest and exercise
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging, 24 (10), 1329-1342
DOI 10.1093/ehjci/jead196, PubMed 37542477
Publications 2022
Left atrial strain imaging: ready for clinical implementation in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging, 23 (9), 1169-1170
DOI 10.1093/ehjci/jeac059, PubMed 35383851
Publications 2020
Left bundle branch block increases left ventricular diastolic pressure during tachycardia due to incomplete relaxation
J Appl Physiol (1985), 128 (4), 729-738
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.01002.2018, PubMed 31999529
Mechanical Effects on Right Ventricular Function From Left Bundle Branch Block and Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, 13 (7), 1475-1484
DOI 10.1016/j.jcmg.2019.11.016, PubMed 31954643
Publications 2019
Myocardial work by echocardiography: a novel method ready for clinical testing
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging, 20 (1), 18-20
DOI 10.1093/ehjci/jey156, PubMed 30376059
Left ventricular end-systolic volume is a more sensitive marker of acute response to cardiac resynchronization therapy than contractility indices: insights from an experimental study
Europace, 21 (2), 347-355
DOI 10.1093/europace/euy221, PubMed 30418572
Publications 2018
Dysfunction of the systemic right ventricle after atrial switch: physiological implications of altered septal geometry and load
J Appl Physiol (1985), 125 (5), 1482-1489
DOI 10.1152/japplphysiol.00255.2018, PubMed 30188795
Afterload Hypersensitivity in Patients With Left Bundle Branch Block
JACC Cardiovasc Imaging, 12 (6), 967-977
DOI 10.1016/j.jcmg.2017.11.025, PubMed 29361486
Publications 2015
Non-invasive myocardial work index identifies acute coronary occlusion in patients with non-ST-segment elevation-acute coronary syndrome
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging, 16 (11), 1247-55
DOI 10.1093/ehjci/jev078, PubMed 25851329
Publications 2014
Cardiac responses to left ventricular pacing in hearts with normal electrical conduction: beneficial effect of improved filling is counteracted by dyssynchrony
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, 307 (3), H370-8
DOI 10.1152/ajpheart.00089.2014, PubMed 24906920