Background: Chronic excessive alcohol consumption leads to progressive and chronic cardiac dysfunction. In general, patients consuming alcohol more than five years are at risk for the development of dilated cardiomyopathy. As only few data about immediate changes in left ventricular function after acute excessive alcohol ingestion are available, this study sought to close this gap.

Methods: 200 subjects (not used to alcohol, no cardiac disease) will be examined up to 12 hours after alcohol excess and after 4 weeks of complete alcohol abstinence. Echocardiography will performed at baseline and at follow-up regarding conventional parameter [as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), transmitral early (E) and late (A) Doppler flow velocities, E/A ratio, deceleration time of E (DT) and isovolumic relaxation time (IVRT)] and myocardial deformation data [as layer specific global circumferential (endo GCS, mid GCS, epi GCS) and longitudinal (endo GLS, mid GLS, epi GLS) strain].

Inclusion Criteria:

• healthy subjects who are not used to alcohol
• subjets who had an excessive alcohol Ingestion up to 12 hours before echocardiography

Exclusion Criteria:

• any heart disease
• subjects under 18 years

Subjects who are not used to alcohol and have no heart disease will be asked for an echocardipgraphy (at baseline and at 4 weeks follow-up) in case of excessive alcohol Ingestion up to 12 hours before determination