Ventilatory Efficiency Is Reduced in People With Hypertension During Exercise.

Background An elevated ventilatory efficiency slope during exercise (minute ventilation/volume of expired CO; V/VCO slope) is a strong prognostic indicator in heart failure. It is elevated in people with heart failure with preserved ejection, many of whom have hypertension. However, whether the V/VCO slope is also elevated in people with primary hypertension versus normotensive individuals is unknown.