Abstract-Although the differences between central and peripheral blood pressure (BP) values have been known for decades, the consequences of decision making based on peripheral rather than central BP have only recently been recognized. There are only a few studies assessing the relationship between intraaortic BP and cardiovascular risk. In addition, the relationship between central BP and the risk of cardiovascular events in a large group of coronary patients has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine the prognostic significance of central BP-derived indices in patients undergoing coronary angiography. Invasive central BPs were taken at baseline, and study end points were ascertained during over a 4. Key Words: blood pressure Ⅲ central pulse pressure Ⅲ pulsatility Ⅲ cardiovascular risk Ⅲ atherosclerosis Ⅲ coronary artery disease D iastolic blood pressure (DBP) was previously believed to be the only meaningful predictor of cardiovascular events; however, systolic blood pressure (SBP) is now being considered an even more important cardiovascular risk factor. 1 Recently, the prospective and retrospective epidemiological studies have demonstrated that elevated pulse pressure (PP, the difference between systolic and diastolic pressure) is independently related to the risk of cardiovascular events, especially in the elderly. 1,2 Furthermore, new parameters (pulsatility and pulsatility index) of the pulsatile component of blood pressure (BP) have been developed. 3,4 Pulsatility is calculated as PP divided by mean blood pressure (MBP). 3 Unlike SBP, DBP, and PP, this new parameter is not correlated with MBP, and thus it may be very useful in research on atherosclerosis pathogenesis and its complications development. 5,6 Pulsatility may be seen as indicator of the relative changes of blood pressure in opposition to pulse pressure which is an index of absolute blood pressure changes.Although the differences between central and peripheral BP values have been known for decades, the consequences of decision making based on peripheral rather than central BP have only recently been recognized. 6 -9 As central BP directly affects heart and coronary as well as carotid arteries and is directly related to the incidence of major cardiovascular complications, more and more attention is being given to the ascending aortic BP measurements. 6,7 There are only a few studies assessing the relationship between central BP and cardiovascular risk. The relationship between pulsatility (as measured invasively in the ascending aorta) and the risk of cardiovascular events has not yet been evaluated. Therefore, the present study was designed for the assessment of the relationship between prognosis and the steady and pulsatile components of central BP. Methods Study PopulationConsecutive patients suspected of having coronary artery disease (CAD) who were undergoing nonemergency coronary angiography from

BackgroundDifferent diagnostic criteria limit comparisons between populations in the prevalence of diastolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. We aimed to compare across populations age-specific echocardiographic criteria for diastolic LV dysfunction as well as their correlates and prevalence.MethodsWe measured the E and A peaks of transmitral blood flow by pulsed wave Doppler and the e' and a' peaks of mitral annular velocities by tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) in 2 cohorts randomly recruited in Belgium (n = 782; 51.4% women; mean age, 51.1 years) and in Italy, Poland and Russia (n = 476; 55.7%; 44.5 years).ResultsIn stepwise regression, the multivariable-adjusted correlates of the transmitral and TDI diastolic indexes were similar in the 2 cohorts and included sex, age, body mass index, blood pressure and heart rate. Similarly, cut-off limits for the E/A ratio (2.5th percentile) and E/e' ratio (97.5th percentile) in 338 and 185 reference subjects free from cardiovascular risk factors respectively selected from both cohorts were consistent within 0.02 and 0.26 units (median across 5 age groups). The rounded 2.5th percentile of the E/A ratio decreased by ~0.10 per age decade in these apparently healthy subjects. The reference subsample provided age-specific cut-off limits for normal E/A and E/e' ratios. In the 2 cohorts combined, diastolic dysfunction groups 1 (impaired relaxation), 2 (possible elevated LV filling pressure) and 3 (elevated E/e' and abnormally low E/A) encompassed 114 (9.1%), 135 (10.7%), and 40 (3.2%) subjects, respectively.ConclusionsThe age-specific criteria for diastolic LV dysfunction were highly consistent across the study populations with an age-standardized prevalence of 22.4% vs. 25.1%.

Background-To understand better the mechanism of left ventricular (LV) remodeling related to hypertension, it is important to evaluate LV function in relation to the changes in loading conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in conventional ventricular-arterial coupling indexes, LV strain, and a new index reflecting regional myocardial work assessed noninvasively at rest and during isometric exercise in a random sample including participants with normal blood pressure and those with hypertension.

Our study underscored the importance of arterial characteristics as a mediator of LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction. We demonstrated an age-dependent relationship between radial strain and indexes of arterial stiffness.