Usefulness of Doppler echocardiographic left ventricular diastolic function and peak exercise oxygen consumption to predict cardiovascular outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure (from HF-ACTION).

Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training (HF-ACTION) was a multicenter, randomized controlled trial designed to examine the safety and efficacy of aerobic exercise training versus usual care in 2,331 patients with systolic heart failure (HF). In HF-ACTION patients with rest transthoracic echocardiographic measurements, the predictive value of 8 Doppler echocardiographic measurements-left ventricular (LV) diastolic dimension, mass, systolic (ejection fraction) and diastolic (mitral valve peak early diastolic/peak late diastolic [E/A] ratio, peak mitral valve early diastolic velocity/tissue Doppler peak early diastolic myocardial velocity [E/E'] ratio, and deceleration time) function, left atrial dimension, and mitral regurgitation severity-was examined for a primary end point of all-cause death or hospitalization and a secondary end point of cardiovascular disease death or HF hospitalization. Also compared was the prognostic value of echocardiographic variables versus peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2)).