Upper arm venous compliance and fitness in stable coronary artery disease patients and healthy controls.

Objectives: Arteries have been examined extensively in coronary artery disease (CAD), while less attention has been paid to veins.

Aims: (1) To determine whether venous compliance or venous outflow in the upper arm is reduced in CAD patients compared to healthy age- and fitness-matched controls; and (2) to examine the association between upper arm venous compliance and total blood volume.

Design: Fifteen patients with stable CAD (age 62·1 ± 5·7 years, body mass index 26·5 ± 3·2 kg·m , fat-free mass 59·3 ± 7·6 kg, mean arterial pressure 98·9 ± 8·0 mmHg, VO : 2·92 ± 0·53 l min ) were compared to twelve healthy age- and fitness-matched controls (age 62·2 ± 3·7 years, body mass index 26·2 ± 2·3 kg m , fat-free mass 61·0 ± 9·2 kg, mean arterial pressure 96·5 ± 9·1 mmHg, VO : 3·24 ± 0·48 l min ). Venous compliance was examined using high-resolution ultrasound and Doppler in the basilic vein. Blood volumes were measured by the optimized CO rebreathing method.

Results: Equal upper arm venous compliance normalized to blood volume (patients: 0·28 ± 0·26 mm  mmHg  l , healthy controls: 0·16 ± 0·11 mm mmHg  l ) and peak venous outflow normalized to blood volume (patients: 10·4 ± 3·9 cm s  l , healthy controls: 8·3 ± 0·8 cm s  l ) were found in patients with CAD and healthy age- and fitness-matched controls. Additionally, no difference was found in blood volume (patients: 6·06 ± 0·79 l, healthy controls: 6·68 ± 1·27 l) or VO .

Conclusion: Comparable upper arm venous compliance and venous outflow in CAD patients and healthy age- and fitness-matched controls might indicate that high VO and blood volume could prevent possible disease-induced reductions in venous compliance in CAD.