Can we diagnose isolated, exercise-induced heart failure with normal ejection fraction?

Jaroslav Meluzin,Monika Spinarova,Zdenka Gregorova,Roman Panovsky

doi:10.5507/bp.2014.066

Abstract

A significant proportion of patients with exertional dyspnea require exercise to diagnose heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF). In this review article, we evaluate current data on the prevalence, clinical significance and specifically the establishment of a diagnosis of isolated, exercise-induced HFNEF. Despite the unquestioned clinical importance and high prevalence of exercise-induced HFNEF, there are limited and conflicting data on making a diagnosis of exercise-induced HFNEF. This mostly relies on the evidence of exercise-induced elevation in left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP). At present, there is no agreement on the ability of exercise echocardiographic parameteres to predict exercise-induced LVFP elevation. In addition, even invasively measured exercise LVFP faces the problem of defining normal exercise LVFP values. More data and probably new diagnostic approaches are necessary to reliably diagnose exercise HFNEF. There are conflicting results and significant problems associated with the diagnosis of exercise HFNEF. This review hopefully will encourage further research in this difficult but clinically important area of heart failure.

Highlights

It is estimated that 1-2% of the adult population in developed countries has heart failure[1]
Approximately 30-50% have a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), i.e. they suffer from heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF)
Meluzin et al.[14] studied the accuracy of standard and some new echocardiographic Doppler variables in predicting exercise Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) elevation (≥ 25 mmHg) in patients after orthotopic heart transplantation, who were free of post-heart transplant angina pectoris or myocardial infarction, and were found to have LVEF ≥ 50%

Summary

Background

A significant proportion of patients with exertional dyspnea require exercise to diagnose heart failure with normal ejection fraction (HFNEF). We evaluate current data on the prevalence, clinical significance and the establishment of a diagnosis of isolated, exercise-induced HFNEF. Despite the unquestioned clinical importance and high prevalence of exercise-induced HFNEF, there are limited and conflicting data on making a diagnosis of exercise-induced HFNEF. This mostly relies on the evidence of exercise-induced elevation in left ventricular filling pressure (LVFP). There are conflicting results and significant problems associated with the diagnosis of exercise HFNEF. This review hopefully will encourage further research in this difficult but clinically important area of heart failure.

INTRODUCTION

LIMITATIONS

Findings

CONCLUSION