Preservation of exercise capacity and lack of peripheral changes in asymptomatic patients with severely impaired left ventricular function

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Abstract
Aims To establish the extent, if any, of peripheral changes in asymptomatic patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction. Methods and Results Nine asymptomatic and nine symptomatic patients with left ventricular ejection fraction, P=0·23 and 0·48, respectively) were studied and compared with 26 age-matched normal controls. We assessed exercise capacity, leg blood flow (occlusion plethysmography), respiratory muscle strength, quadriceps maximal isometric strength, fatigue and CT cross-sectional muscle area at mid thigh. Fatigue was expressed as the percentage reduction in maximal strength following a 20min fatiguing protocol. There was a graded increase in peak oxygen consumption comparing symptomatic, asymptomatic and control groups (16·6±1·3 vs 27·1±1·6 vs 32·8±1·3ml.min−1.kg−1respectively, ANOVA PPP=0·0002) and cross-sectional area (P=0·0003) and in peak blood flow (P=0·027) and respiratory muscle strength (PConclusions Patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction may have near normal exercise capacity and no peripheral changes. Exercise capacity may depend less upon left ventricular function than on the presence or absence of peripheral factors.

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