Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and exercise intolerance in obese heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Abstract

The mechanisms underpinning exercise intolerance in older obese patients with HFpEF have not been well characterized, however may be due in part, to impaired left ventricular diastolic function. Using a multimodal imaging approach to uncouple tissue deformation from atrial pressure, we found that relaxation is impaired in older obese patients with HFpEF, but only modestly correlates with their severely reduced peak exercise V̇o2. In contrast, the data show a much stronger relationship between elevated LV filling pressures and exercise intolerance in obese patients with HFpEF, refocusing future therapeutic priorities.