Arterial dilatory reserve in congestive heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are abnormalities in flow-mediated large vessel relaxation in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF).


METHODS
The radial arterial diameter and flow responses upon the release of 10 min of forearm arterial occlusion (reactive hyperemia) were measured with ultrasound and Doppler devices.


RESULTS
In patients with CHF there was a 26% reduction in peak blood flow (P = 0.09) compared to age-matched controls. However, the increase in arterial diameter that followed the peak blood flow was reduced by 49% in CHF (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The causes of the abnormal flow-mediated large artery relaxation in CHF are unclear; both structural and endothelial abnormalities may contribute.
Zelis
R
R
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Hayoz
D
D
Drexler
H
H
Münzel
T
T
Hornig
B
B
Zeiher
A M
AM
Just
H
H
Brunner
H R
HR
D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia; D008875:Middle Aged; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017534:Radial Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014463:Ultrasonography