Effect of age on cardiac index, stroke index and left ventricular ejection fraction at rest and during exercise as studied by radiocardiography

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Abstract
Radiocardiography was used to measure cardiac output, stroke volume and left ventricular ejection fraction at rest and during muscular exercise in relation with age in 148 healthy subjects (age range: 6-78 yr). A clear dependence of these parameters on age was found. The mean annual decrease at rest was 22 .+-. 9 ml/min per m2 for cardiac index, 0.22 .+-. 0.04 ml/m2 for stroke index and 0.0017 .+-. 0.0003 for left ventricular ejection fraction. Male subjects had significantly (P < 0.001) greater cardiac (9 .+-. 4%) and stroke indices (11 .+-. 3%) than females. During submaximal exercise cardiac index increased from 3.5 .+-. 0.7 l/min per m2 to 8.1 .+-. 1.6 l/min per m2 in male subjects (mean age: 32 yr) and from 3.1 .+-. 0.4 l/min per m2 to 7.2 .+-. 1.2 l/min per m2 in female subjects (mean age: 29 yr). The corresponding increases in stroke index and left ventricular ejection fraction were: from 52 .+-. 7 ml/m2 to 62 .+-. 9 ml/m2, from 46 .+-. 7 ml/m2 to 51 .+-. 9 ml/m2 and from 0.66 .+-. 0.08 to 0.79 .+-. 0.05 and from 0.64 .+-. 0.10 to 0.75 .+-. 0.10. In subjects who were 60 yr and older the increases of these parameters during exercise were considerably smaller.