The relationship between ventricular-vascular uncoupling during exercise and impaired left ventricular longitudinal functional reserve in hypertensive patients

Uncoupling between heart and vessel may be accompanied by left ventricular (LV) dysfunction during exercise. We investigated the association between ventricular-vascular uncoupling during exercise and impaired LV longitudinal functional reserve in hypertensive subjects. Supine bicycle exercise echocardiography (25-watt, 3-minute increments) was performed in 216 hypertensive patients (106 male; mean age, 58 ± 9 years). Arterial elastance (Ea), end-systolic ventricular elastance (Ees), and ventricular-vascular interaction (VVI) index (Ea/Ees) were calculated at rest and at each stage of exercise. The patients were divided into three groups according to the tertile value of VVI ratio. The VVI ratio was defined as the ratio of VVI index at 50 W exercise over VVI index at rest; normal VVI response (n = 72); borderline VVI response (n = 72); and abnormal VVI response (n = 72). There were no significant differences in conventional echo parameters, mitral inflow velocities, mitral annular early diastolic (E') velocity, and mitral annular systolic velocity (S') at rest among the three groups. However, E' velocities and S' velocities at 25 W and 50 W were significantly lower in patients with abnormal VVI response compared with those in the other groups (P =.010 at 25 W, P =.008 at 50 W in E' velocity; P =.022 at 25 W, P = .043 at 50 W in S' velocity). Longitudinal diastolic functional reserve index from rest to 50 W was significantly lower in patients with abnormal VVI response compared with the other groups. Ventricular-vascular uncoupling during exercise was related to impaired LV longitudinal functional reserve in hypertensive patients.