Renal resistance index and its prognostic significance in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Functional renal impairment is a common feature of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). The link between functional renal impairment and HFpEF remains incompletely understood. With hypertension and diabetes as frequent co-morbidities, patients with HFpEF are at risk of developing intra-renal vascular hemodynamic alterations that may lead to functional renal impairment and impact on prognosis.

Prognostic importance of comorbidities in heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction.

The relative impact of comorbidities and parameters of left ventricular diastolic function on clinical outcome has not been thoroughly investigated in patients who are hospitalized for heart failure decompensation and found to have preserved ejection fraction. We identified 98 HFpEF patients among 1452 patients admitted with acute heart failure. Clinical characteristics, hemoglobin levels, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and Doppler-echocardiographic parameters were analyzed.

Impact of valvuloarterial impedance on left ventricular longitudinal deformation in patients with aortic valve stenosis and preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Left ventricular (LV) longitudinal deformation is a good marker of intrinsic myocardial dysfunction in pressure overload cardiomyopathies.

Aim: To assess the effect of valvuloarterial haemodynamic load on LV longitudinal deformation in patients with aortic valve stenosis (AVS) and preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF).

Methods: Global LV longitudinal strain (GLS) was measured using speckle tracking imaging in a series of 82 consecutive patients with AVS (mean age 75+/-10 years; 50% men).

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.

Methods And Results: Twenty-five HFpREF patients in steady-state clinical condition without significant coronary artery disease and 25 hypertensive controls underwent exercise echocardiography.