Force-frequency relationship in the echocardiography laboratory: a noninvasive assessment of Bowditch treppe?

Background: Estimation of contractility of the left ventricle is an important, and as yet elusive, goal with noninvasive techniques.

Objective: We sought to assess the feasibility of a totally noninvasive estimation of force-frequency relation (FFR) during exercise stress in the echocardiography laboratory.

Methods: We enrolled 13 healthy control patients (12 men, age 38 +/- 15 years) as group I, and 50 patients (38 men, age 64 +/- 11 years) referred for exercise echocardiography as group II.