Hemodynamic and metabolic basis of impaired exercise tolerance in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction

Abstract

Hemodynamic and metabolic changes were measured at rest and during exercise in 23 patients with chronic heart failure and in 6 control subjects. Exercise was limited by leg fatigue in both groups and capacity was 40% lower in the patients with failure. At rest, comparing patients with control subjects, heart rate and right atrial and pulmonary wedge pressure were higher; cardiac output, stroke volume and work indexes and ejection fraction were lower; mean arterial and right atrial pressure and systemic resistance were similar. During all phases of exercise in patients with heart failure, pulmonary wedge pressure and systemic vascular resistance were higher and pulmonary vascular resistance remained markedly elevated compared with values in control subjects. Cardiac output was lower in the patients with failure, but appeared to have the same physiologic distribution in both groups during exercise.Although arterial-femoral venous oxygen content difference was higher in patients with heart failure, this increase did not compensate for the reduced blood flow. Even though the maximal oxygen consumption was significantly reduced, femoral venous lactate and pH values were higher than values in control subjects, but femoral venous pH was similar in both groups at their respective levels of maximal exercise. Ejection fraction was lower in those with heart failure at rest and did not increase with exercise. Ventilation in relation to oxygen consumption was higher in patients with failure than in control subjects. In patients with failure, although wedge pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance are high, exercise is limited mainly by fatigue due to acidosis and reduced leg blood flow in exercising muscle.