Ventricular-Vascular Coupling in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction
Ventricular-Vascular Coupling in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction
This study will test the hypothesis that increases in ventricular-vascular stiffness can be demonstrated by arterial tonometry and echocardiography in subjects with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HF-nlEF)(i.e. normal left ventricular function.) We will also track changes in pulsatile hemodynamics over time in subjects hospitalized with HF-nlEF.
The pathophysiologic mechanisms responsible for the development of heart failure in people with preserved ejection fraction (i.e. normal left ventricular function) remain poorly understood. One possible mechanism may be the contribution of increased arterial stiffness to changes in pulsatile hemodynamic load during ventricular systole, implicating abnormal ventricular-vascular interactions throughout the cardiac cycle in the pathogenesis of heart failure with normal ejection fraction.
To investigate changes in ventricular-vascular stiffness in subjects with heart failure and normal left ventricular function, comparisons will be made between 3 distinct sub-populations:
Inclusion Criteria:
Subjects with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction
Diabetic subjects with hypertension
Normotensive control subjects
Exclusion Criteria:
Subjects with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction
Non-diabetic subjects with hypertension
Diabetic subjects with hypertension
Normotensive control subjects