Left ventricular abnormal response during dynamic exercise in patients with heart failure and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction at rest.
BACKGROUND
The mechanisms that contribute to limit functional capacity are incompletely understood in patients with preserved resting ejection fraction (HFpREF). We assessed left ventricular (LV) systolic response to dynamic exercise in patients with HFpREF and in patients with similar comorbidities to HFpREF patients but without history or evidence of heart failure.


RESULTS
Twenty-five HFpREF patients in steady-state clinical condition without significant coronary artery disease and 25 hypertensive controls underwent exercise echocardiography. At rest, systolic pulmonary artery pressure, left atrial area, E/A and E/e' ratios were greater in patients with HFpREF than in control patients, whereas peak systolic mitral annular velocity was lower in HFpREF patients. The exercise-induced changes in LVEF, forward stroke volume, and cardiac output were significantly lower in HFpREF compared with control patients (-4 +/- 8 vs. +6 +/- 6 %, P = .001; -4 +/- 9 vs. +10 +/- 10 mL, P < .0001, and 1.6 +/- 1.2 vs. 3.5 +/- 1.8 L/min, P < .0001, respectively). Exercise-induced changes in effective arterial elastance significantly differed in HFpREF and control patients (0.5 +/- 0.6 vs. -0.2 +/- 0.5 mm Hg/mL, P < .0001). In addition, 7 of the 25 HFpREF patients developed functional mitral regurgitation during exercise and none in controls.


CONCLUSIONS
When compared with patients with similar comorbidities but without history or evidence of heart failure, patients with HFpREF experience greater arterial stiffening and thereby a deterioration of global LV systolic performance during dynamic exercise.
Ennezat
Pierre V
PV
Division of Cardiology, Centre Hospitalier Régional et Universitaire de Lille, and EA 2693, Université de Lille II, Faculté de Médecine, Lille, France.
Lefetz
Yann
Y
Maréchaux
Sylvestre
S
Six-Carpentier
Marie
M
Deklunder
Ghislaine
G
Montaigne
David
D
Bauchart
Jean Jacques
JJ
Mounier-Véhier
Claire
C
Jude
Brigitte
B
Nevière
Rémi
R
Bauters
Christophe
C
Asseman
Philippe
P
de Groote
Pascal
P
Lejemtel
Thierry H
TH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress / Q000379:methods; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology*; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000502:physiology