Correlation of arterial stiffness to left ventricular function in patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Heart failure has been divided into heart failure with preserved left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (EF) and heart failure with reduced EF, because the pathophysiologies of the two conditions are different. Cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is a new indicator of arterial stiffness, and the most conspicuous feature of CAVI is its independence of blood pressure at the time of measurement. Arterial stiffness has been considered to increase LV afterload, which requires special care to avoid the onset of heart failure.