No abstract

Background Elevated left atrial (LA) pressure, particularly during exercise, is associated with symptomatic status and survival in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). We aimed to characterize the contribution of abnormal LA mechanical properties to exercise haemodynamics in HFpEF. Methods and results Simultaneous echocardiography and right heart catheterization were performed in 71 subjects with left ventricular ejection fraction ≥ 50% referred for assessment of exertional dyspnoea. According to haemodynamic evaluation, 49 patients were diagnosed with HFpEF [pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) ≥ 15 mmHg at rest and/or ≥ 25 mmHg at maximal exertion] and 22 as non‐cardiac dyspnoea. Apical two‐ and four‐chamber views were used for blinded two‐dimensional LA speckle tracking analysis. HFpEF was characterized by impaired LA reservoir (24.3 ± 9.6 vs. 36.7 ± 8.4%, P < 0.001) and pump strain (−11.5 ± 3.2 vs. −17.0 ± 3.4%, P < 0.001); and increased stiffness (0.8 ± 0.7 vs. 0.2 ± 0.1 mmHg/%, P < 0.001). Reservoir and pump strain correlated with exercise PCWP (r = −0.64 and r = 0.72, P < 0.001), and remained independent predictors after adjusting for left ventricular mass index, LA volume index, mean E/e' and systolic blood pressure (B = −0.66 and B = 1.41, respectively, P < 0.001). LA stiffness was strongly related to B‐type natriuretic peptide levels (r = 0.73, P < 0.001; B = 173.0, P < 0.001). Reservoir strain at cut‐off of ≤ 33% predicted invasively verified HFpEF diagnosis with 88% sensitivity and 77% specificity, providing a net reclassification improvement of 12% in comparison to the 2016 European Society of Cardiology criteria for non‐invasive diagnosis of HFpEF. Conclusions Impaired LA reservoir and pump function and increased stiffness are associated with abnormal exercise haemodynamics in HFpEF. These markers provide significant HFpEF diagnostic utility in elderly ambulatory patients with dyspnoea.

CONTEXT: Preterm birth is associated with incident heart failure in children and young adults.OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect size of preterm birth on cardiac remodeling from birth to young adulthood.DATA SOURCES: Data sources include Medline, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane databases, and clinical trial registries (inception to March 25, 2020).STUDY SELECTION: Studies in which cardiac phenotype was compared between preterm individuals born at ,37 weeks' gestation and age-matched term controls were included.DATA EXTRACTION: Random-effects models were used to calculate weighted mean differences with corresponding 95% confidence intervals.RESULTS: Thirty-two observational studies were included (preterm = 1471; term = 1665). All measures of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) systolic function were lower in preterm neonates, including LV ejection fraction (P = .01). Preterm LV ejection fraction was similar from infancy, although LV stroke volume index was lower in young adulthood. Preterm LV peak early diastolic tissue velocity was lower throughout development, although preterm diastolic function worsened with higher estimated filling pressures from infancy. RV longitudinal strain was lower in preterm-born individuals of all ages, proportional to the degree of prematurity (R 2 = 0.64; P = .002). Preterm-born individuals had persistently smaller LV internal dimensions, lower indexed LV end-diastolic volume in young adulthood, and an increase in indexed LV mass, compared with controls, of 0.71 g/m 2 per year from childhood (P = .007). LIMITATIONS:The influence of preterm-related complications on cardiac phenotype could not be fully explored.CONCLUSIONS: Preterm-born individuals have morphologic and functional cardiac impairments across developmental stages. These changes may make the preterm heart more vulnerable to secondary insults, potentially underlying their increased risk of early heart failure.