α-Adrenergic receptor regulation of skeletal muscle blood flow during exercise in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

Patients suffering from heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) experience impaired limb blood flow during exercise, which may be due to a disease-related increase in α-adrenergic receptor vasoconstriction. Thus, in eight patients with HFrEF (63 ± 4 yr) and eight well-matched controls (63 ± 2 yr), we examined changes in leg blood flow (Doppler ultrasound) during intra-arterial infusion of phenylephrine (PE; an α1-adrenergic receptor agonist) and phentolamine (Phen; a nonspecific α-adrenergic receptor antagonist) at rest and during dynamic single-leg knee-extensor exercise (0, 5, and 10 W). At rest, the PE-induced reduction in blood flow was significantly attenuated in patients with HFrEF (-15 ± 7%) compared with controls (-36 ± 5%). During exercise, the controls exhibited a blunted reduction in blood flow induced by PE (-12 ± 4, -10 ± 4, and -9 ± 2% at 0, 5, and 10 W, respectively) compared with rest, while the PE-induced change in blood flow was unchanged compared with rest in the HFrEF group (-8 ± 5, -10 ± 3, and -14 ± 3%, respectively). Phen administration increased leg blood flow to a greater extent in the HFrEF group at rest (+178 ± 34% vs. +114 ± 28%, HFrEF vs. control) and during exercise (36 ± 6, 37 ± 7, and 39 ± 6% vs. 13 ± 3, 14 ± 1, and 8 ± 3% at 0, 5, and 10 W, respectively, in HFrEF vs. control). Together, these findings imply that a HFrEF-related increase in α-adrenergic vasoconstriction restrains exercising skeletal muscle blood flow, potentially contributing to diminished exercise capacity in this population.

Metaboreceptor activation in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: Linking cardiac and peripheral vascular haemodynamics.

NEW FINDINGS: What is the central question of this research? Do patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) exhibit a greater dependence on cardiac or peripheral vascular haemodynamics across multiple levels of muscle metaboreflex activation provoked by postexercise circulatory occlusion? What is the main finding and its importance? The metaboreflex-induced pressor response in HFrEF patients is governed almost entirely by the peripheral circulation, which places a substantial haemodynamic load on the failing heart. This maladaptive response exacerbates the disease-related impairment of systolic function that is a hallmark feature of HFrEF and may therefore contribute to exercise intolerance in this patient group. ABSTRACT: We sought to evaluate the muscle metaboreflex in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) patients, with an emphasis on the interaction between cardiac and peripheral vascular haemodynamics across multiple levels of metaboreceptor activation. In 23 HFrEF patients (63 ± 2 years of age) and 15 healthy control subjects (64 ± 3 years of age), we examined changes in mean arterial pressure, cardiac output, systemic vascular conductance, effective arterial elastance, stroke work and forearm deoxyhaemoglobin concentration during metaboreceptor activation elicited by postexercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) after three levels of static-intermittent handgrip exercise (15, 30 and 45% maximal voluntary contraction). Across workloads, the metaboreflex-induced increase in deoxyhaemoglobin and mean arterial pressure were similar between groups. However, in control subjects, the pressor response was driven by changes (Δ) in cardiac output  (Δ495 ± 155, Δ564 ± 156 and Δ666 ± 217 ml min-1 ), whereas this change was accomplished by intensity-dependent reductions in systemic vascular conductance in patients with HFrEF (Δ-4.9 ± 1.5, Δ-9.1 ± 1.9 and Δ-12.7 ± 1.8 ml min mmHg-1 ). This differential response contributed to the exaggerated increases in effective arterial elastance in HFrEF patients compared with control subjects, coupled with a blunted response in stroke work in the HFrEF patients. Together, these findings indicate a preserved role of the metaboreflex-induced pressor response in HFrEF but suggest that this response is governed by changes in the peripheral circulation. The net effect of this response appears to be maladaptive, as it places a substantial haemodynamic load on the left ventricle that may exacerbate left ventricular systolic dysfunction and contribute to exercise intolerance in this patient population.

Ascorbic acid improves brachial artery vasodilation during progressive handgrip exercise in the elderly through a nitric oxide-mediated mechanism.

The proposed mechanistic link between the age-related attenuation in vascular function and free radicals is an attractive hypothesis; however, direct evidence of free radical attenuation and a concomitant improvement in vascular function in the elderly is lacking. Therefore, this study sought to test the hypothesis that ascorbic acid (AA), administered intra-arterially during progressive handgrip exercise, improves brachial artery (BA) vasodilation in a nitric oxide (NO)-dependent manner, by mitigating free radical production. BA vasodilation (Doppler ultrasound) and free radical outflow [electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy] were measured in seven healthy older adults (69 ± 2 yr) during handgrip exercise at 3, 6, 9, and 12 kg (∼13-52% of maximal voluntary contraction) during the control condition and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition via N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), AA, and coinfusion of l-NMMA + AA. Baseline BA diameter was not altered by any of the treatments, while L-NMMA and L-NMMA + AA diminished baseline BA blood flow and shear rate. AA improved BA dilation compared with control at 9 kg (control: 6.5 ± 2.2%, AA: 10.9 ± 2.5%, P = 0.01) and 12 kg (control: 9.5 ± 2.7%, AA: 15.9 ± 3.7%, P < 0.01). NOS inhibition blunted BA vasodilation compared with control and when combined with AA eliminated the AA-induced improvement in BA vasodilation. Free radical outflow increased with exercise intensity but, interestingly, was not attenuated by AA. Collectively, these results indicate that AA improves BA vasodilation in the elderly during handgrip exercise through an NO-dependent mechanism; however, this improvement appears not to be the direct consequence of attenuated free radical outflow from the forearm.

Oral antioxidants improve leg blood flow during exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The consequence of elevated oxidative stress on exercising skeletal muscle blood flow as well as the transport and utilization of O2 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is not well understood. The present study examined the impact of an oral antioxidant cocktail (AOC) on leg blood flow (LBF) and O2 consumption during dynamic exercise in 16 patients with COPD and 16 healthy subjects. Subjects performed submaximal (3, 6, and 9 W) single-leg knee extensor exercise while LBF (Doppler ultrasound), mean arterial blood pressure, leg vascular conductance, arterial O2 saturation, leg arterial-venous O2 difference, and leg O2 consumption (direct Fick) were evaluated under control conditions and after AOC administration. AOC administration increased LBF (3 W: 1,604 ± 100 vs. 1,798 ± 128 ml/min, 6 W: 1,832 ± 109 vs. 1,992 ± 120 ml/min, and 9W: 2,035 ± 114 vs. 2,187 ± 136 ml/min, P < 0.05, control vs. AOC, respectively), leg vascular conductance, and leg O2 consumption (3 W: 173 ± 12 vs. 210 ± 15 ml O2/min, 6 W: 217 ± 14 vs. 237 ± 15 ml O2/min, and 9 W: 244 ± 16 vs 260 ± 18 ml O2/min, P < 0.05, control vs. AOC, respectively) during exercise in COPD, whereas no effect was observed in healthy subjects. In addition, the AOC afforded a small, but significant, improvement in arterial O2 saturation only in patients with COPD. Thus, these data demonstrate a novel beneficial role of AOC administration on exercising LBF, O2 consumption, and arterial O2 saturation in patients with COPD, implicating oxidative stress as a potential therapeutic target for impaired exercise capacity in this population.

Hemodynamic responses to small muscle mass exercise in heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.

To better understand the mechanisms responsible for exercise intolerance in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), the present study sought to evaluate the hemodynamic responses to small muscle mass exercise in this cohort. In 25 HFrEF patients (64 ± 2 yr) and 17 healthy, age-matched control subjects (64 ± 2 yr), mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO), and limb blood flow were examined during graded static-intermittent handgrip (HG) and dynamic single-leg knee-extensor (KE) exercise. During HG exercise, MAP increased similarly between groups. CO increased significantly (+1.3 ± 0.3 l/min) in the control group, but it remained unchanged across workloads in HFrEF patients. At 15% maximum voluntary contraction (MVC), forearm blood flow was similar between groups, while HFrEF patients exhibited an attenuated increase at the two highest intensities compared with controls, with the greatest difference at the highest workload (352 ± 22 vs. 492 ± 48 ml/min, HFrEF vs. control, 45% MVC). During KE exercise, MAP and CO increased similarly across work rates between groups. However, HFrEF patients exhibited a diminished leg hyperemic response across all work rates, with the most substantial decrement at the highest intensity (1,842 ± 64 vs. 2,675 ± 81 ml/min; HFrEF vs. control, 15 W). Together, these findings indicate a marked attenuation in exercising limb perfusion attributable to impairments in peripheral vasodilatory capacity during both arm and leg exercise in patients with HFrEF, which likely plays a role in limiting exercise capacity in this patient population.

Coronary Artery Tortuosity and Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection: Association With Echocardiography and Global Longitudinal Strain, Fibromuscular Dysplasia, and Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: The etiology and significance of coronary artery tortuosity (TCA) among patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) are unknown. The aim of this prospective imaging cohort study was to report echocardiographic findings and evaluate whether TCA correlates with cardiac anatomy and function among patients with SCAD. Comorbidities including fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and outcomes were also assessed. METHODS: TCA was determined on coronary angiography performed during the diagnosis of SCAD, and cardiac structure and function were evaluated using prospective comprehensive echocardiography. RESULTS: Among 116 patients with SCAD, the mean age at echocardiography was 50.8 ± 8.8 years, a median of 10.9 months after SCAD. Sixty-two patients (53.4%) had FMD, 41 (35.3%) had histories of hypertension, and 17 (14.8%) were hypertensive during echocardiography. Most patients (n = 78 [69%]) had normal left ventricular geometry with normal median ejection fraction (61%; interquartile range, 56% to 64%) and normal global longitudinal strain (-22.2%; interquartile range, -24.0% to -19.9%). Fifteen patients (13.4%) had diastolic dysfunction that was associated with hypertension at the time of echocardiography. Patients with TCA (n = 96 [82.8%]) were older (mean age, 52.1 ± 8.0 vs 44.7 ± 9.9 years; P < .001) with a higher prevalence of FMD (59.4% vs 25%, P = .007) but a similar prevalence of hypertension (35% vs 35%, P > .99) compared with patients without TCA. Across the age range (31.5 to 66.9 years), each decade of age was associated with an approximately 0.89-unit increase in coronary tortuosity score (P < .0001). Echocardiographic parameters were not significantly different between the two groups. Median follow-up duration was 4.4 years (95% CI, 3.8 to 5.2 years). The Kaplan-Meier 3-year SCAD recurrence rate was 9.4% (95% CI, 3.7% to 14.8%). There were no deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with SCAD had normal or near normal echocardiographic results, including global longitudinal strain, with no differences according to TCA. However, patients with SCAD with TCA were older, with a higher prevalence of FMD.

Taming the "sleeping giant": the role of endothelin-1 in the regulation of skeletal muscle blood flow and arterial blood pressure during exercise.

The cardiovascular response to exercise is governed by a combination of vasodilating and vasoconstricting influences that optimize exercising muscle perfusion while protecting mean arterial pressure (MAP). The degree to which endogenous endothelin (ET)-1, the body's most potent vasoconstrictor, participates in this response is unknown. Thus, in eight young (24 ± 2 yr), healthy volunteers, we examined leg blood flow, MAP, tissue oxygenation, heart rate, leg arterial-venous O(2) difference, leg O(2) consumption, pH, and net ET-1 and lactate release at rest and during knee extensor exercise (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 W) before and after an intra-arterial infusion of BQ-123 [ET subtype A (ET(A)) receptor antagonist]. At rest, BQ-123 did not evoke a change in leg blood flow or MAP. During exercise, net ET-1 release across the exercising leg increased approximately threefold. BQ-123 increased leg blood flow by ~20% across all work rates (changes of 113 ± 76, 176 ± 83, 304 ± 108, 364 ± 130, 502 ± 117, and 570 ± 178 ml/min at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 W, respectively) and attenuated the exercise-induced increase in MAP by ~6%. The increase in leg blood flow was accompanied by a ~9% increase in leg O(2) consumption with an unchanged arterial-venous O(2) difference and deoxyhemoglobin, suggesting a decline in intramuscular efficiency after ET(A) receptor blockade. Together, these findings identify a significant role of the ET-1 pathway in the cardiovascular response to exercise, implicating vasoconstriction via the ET(A) receptor as an important mechanism for both the restraint of blood flow in the exercising limb and maintenance of MAP in healthy, young adults.

Contribution of nitric oxide to brachial artery vasodilation during progressive handgrip exercise in the elderly.

UNLABELLED: The reduction in nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vascular function with age has largely been determined by flow-mediated dilation (FMD). However, in light of recent uncertainty surrounding the NO dependency of FMD and the recognition that brachial artery (BA) vasodilation during handgrip exercise is predominantly NO-mediated in the young, we sought to determine the contribution of NO to BA vasodilation in the elderly using the handgrip paradigm. BA vasodilation during progressive dynamic (1 Hz) handgrip exercise performed at 3, 6, 9, and 12 kg was assessed with and without NO synthase (NOS) inhibition [intra-arterial N(G)-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA)] in seven healthy older subjects (69 ± 2 yr). Handgrip exercise in the control condition evoked significant BA vasodilation at 6 (4.7 ± 1.4%), 9 (6.5 ± 2.2%), and 12 kg (9.5 ± 2.7%). NOS inhibition attenuated BA vasodilation, as the first measurable increase in BA diameter did not occur until 9 kg (4.0 ± 1.8%), and the change in BA diameter at 12 kg was reduced by ∼30% (5.1 ± 2.2%), with unaltered shear rate ( CONTROL: 407 ± 57, l-NMMA: 427 ± 67 s(-1)). Although shifted downward, the slope of the relationship between BA diameter and shear rate during handgrip exercise was unchanged ( CONTROL: 0.0013 ± 0.0004, l-NMMA: 0.0011 ± 0.007, P = 0.6) as a consequence of NOS inhibition. Thus, progressive handgrip exercise in the elderly evokes a robust BA vasodilation, the magnitude of which was only minimally attenuated following NOS inhibition. This modest contribution of NO to BA vasodilation in the elderly supports the use of the handgrip exercise paradigm to assess NO-dependent vasodilation across the life span.

Angiotensin II potentiates α-adrenergic vasoconstriction in the elderly.

Aging is characterized by increased sympatho-excitation, expressed through both the α-adrenergic and RAAS (renin-angiotensin-aldosterone) pathways. Although the independent contribution of these two pathways to elevated vasoconstriction with age may be substantial, significant cross-talk exists that could produce potentiating effects. To examine this interaction, 14 subjects (n=8 young, n=6 old) underwent brachial artery catheterization for administration of AngII (angiotensin II; 0.8-25.6 ng/dl per min), NE [noradrenaline (norepinephrine); 2.5-80 ng/dl per min] and AngII with concomitant α-adrenergic antagonism [PHEN (phentolamine); 10 µg/dl per min]. Ultrasound Doppler was utilized to determine blood flow, and therefore vasoconstriction, in both infused and contralateral (control) limbs. Arterial blood pressure was measured directly, and sympathetic nervous system activity was assessed via microneurography and plasma NE analysis. AngII sensitivity was significantly greater in the old, indicated by both greater maximal vasoconstriction (-59±4% in old against -48±3% in young) and a decreased EC50 (half-maximal effective concentration) (1.4±0.2 ng/dl per min in old against 2.6±0.7 µg/dl per min in young), whereas the maximal NE-mediated vasoconstriction was similar between these groups (-58±9% in old and -62±5% in young). AngII also increased venous NE in the old group, but was unchanged in the young group. In the presence of α-adrenergic blockade (PHEN), maximal AngII-mediated vasoconstriction in the old was restored to that of the young (-43±8% in old and -39±6% in young). These findings indicate that, with healthy aging, the increased AngII-mediated vasoconstriction may be attributed, in part, to potentiation of the α-adrenergic pathway, and suggest that cross-talk between the RAAS and adrenergic systems may be an important consideration in therapeutic strategies targeting these two pathways.

Sustained postexercise vasodilatation and histamine receptor activation following small muscle-mass exercise in humans.

A sustained postexercise vasodilatation, which is histamine receptor mediated, has been observed following single bouts of whole-body exercise, but the mechanisms that regulate activation of histamine receptors following exercise are undefined. Exploration of vasodilatation after small muscle-mass dynamic or resistance exercise could provide novel insight into the pathways responsible for histamine receptor activation. We hypothesized that there would be a vasodilatation of the previously exercised limb following small muscle-mass dynamic and resistance exercise, which would be mediated by histamine receptors. We studied men and women before and after single-leg dynamic (n = 9) or resistance knee-extension exercise (n = 12) on control and blockade days (combined oral H(1) and H(2) receptor antagonism with fexofenadine and ranitidine). We measured arterial blood pressure (automated brachial oscillometry) and femoral artery blood flow (Doppler ultrasound). Dynamic exercise elevated leg vascular conductance in the active leg by 27.2 ± 8.4% at 60 min postexercise (P < 0.05 versus pre-exercise), but did not alter conductance in the rested leg (change, 4.6 ± 3.5%; P = 0.8 versus pre-exercise). The rise in conductance was abolished on the blockade day (change, 3.7 ± 5.1%; P = 0.8 versus pre-exercise, P = 0.2 versus control). Resistance exercise did not produce a sustained vasodilatation (change, -4.3 ± 4.7% at 60 min postexercise; P = 0.7 versus pre-exercise). These data indicate that histamine receptors are activated following dynamic, but not resistance, exercise. Furthermore, these data suggest that local factors associated with aerobic exercise, and not systemic factors or factors associated with high muscle force, are responsible for activation of histamine receptors in the previously exercised muscle.

Impact of body position on central and peripheral hemodynamic contributions to movement-induced hyperemia: implications for rehabilitative medicine.

This study used alterations in body position to identify differences in hemodynamic responses to passive exercise. Central and peripheral hemodynamics were noninvasively measured during 2 min of passive knee extension in 14 subjects, whereas perfusion pressure (PP) was directly measured in a subset of 6 subjects. Movement-induced increases in leg blood flow (LBF) and leg vascular conductance (LVC) were more than twofold greater in the upright compared with supine positions (LBF, supine: 462 ± 6, and upright: 1,084 ± 159 ml/min, P < 0.001; and LVC, supine: 5.3 ± 1.2, and upright: 11.8 ± 2.8 ml·min⁻¹ ·mmHg⁻¹, P < 0.002). The change in heart rate (HR) from baseline to peak was not different between positions (supine: 8 ± 1, and upright: 10 ± 1 beats/min, P = 0.22); however, the elevated HR was maintained for a longer duration when upright. Stroke volume contributed to the increase in cardiac output (CO) during the upright movement only. CO increased in both positions; however, the magnitude and duration of the CO response were greater in the upright position. Mean arterial pressure and PP were higher at baseline and throughout passive movement when upright. Thus exaggerated central hemodynamic responses characterized by an increase in stroke volume and a sustained HR response combined to yield a greater increase in CO during upright movement. This greater central response coupled with the increased PP and LVC explains the twofold greater and more sustained increase in movement-induced hyperemia in the upright compared with supine position and has clinical implications for rehabilitative medicine.

Cutaneous vascular and core temperature responses to sustained cold exposure in hypoxia.

We tested the effect of hypoxia on cutaneous vascular regulation and defense of core temperature during cold exposure. Twelve subjects had two microdialysis fibres placed in the ventral forearm and were immersed to the sternum in a bathtub on parallel study days (normoxia and poikilocapnic hypoxia with an arterial O(2) saturation of 80%). One fibre served as the control (1 mM propranolol) and the other received 5 mM yohimbine (plus 1 mM propranolol) to block adrenergic receptors. Skin blood flow was assessed at each site (laser Doppler flowmetry), divided by mean arterial pressure to calculate cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC), and scaled to baseline. Cold exposure was first induced by a progressive reduction in water temperature from 36 to 23°C over 30 min to assess cutaneous vascular regulation, then by clamping the water temperature at 10°C for 45 min to test defense of core temperature. During normoxia, cold stress reduced CVC in control (-44 ± 4%) and yohimbine sites (-13 ± 7%; both P < 0.05 versus precooling). Hypoxia caused vasodilatation prior to cooling but resulted in greater reductions in CVC in control (-67 ± 7%) and yohimbine sites (-35 ± 11%) during cooling (both P < 0.05 versus precooling; both P < 0.05 versus normoxia). Core cooling rate during the second phase of cold exposure was unaffected by hypoxia (-1.81 ± 0.23°C h(-1) in normoxia versus -1.97 ± 0.33°C h(-1) in hypoxia; P > 0.05). We conclude that hypoxia increases cutaneous (non-noradrenergic) vasoconstriction during prolonged cold exposure, while core cooling rate is not consistently affected.

Histamine-receptor blockade reduces blood flow but not muscle glucose uptake during postexercise recovery in humans.

Skeletal muscle vasodilatation persists following a single bout of exercise and can potentially influence glucose uptake by recovering muscle. To investigate whether blood flow is a rate-limiting component in postexercise muscle glucose uptake, we tested the hypothesis that oral ingestion of H(1)- and H(2)-receptor antagonists, known to attenuate the sustained postexercise vasodilatation, would reduce leg glucose uptake after a bout of cycling. Healthy, recreationally active subjects (n = 8) exercised for 1 h at 60% of peak oxygen consumption on each of two days, with (blockade) and without (control) histamine-receptor antagonism. For 2 h of recovery following exercise, arteriovenous glucose differences were assessed from the radial artery and femoral vein, and leg blood flow was measured using Doppler ultrasonography on the common femoral artery. Femoral blood flow following exercise was 65.4 ± 16.4 ml min(-1) lower on the blockade day compared with the control day (P < 0.05). Likewise, glucose delivery was 0.177 ± 0.045 mmol min(-1) lower with blockade (P < 0.05). However, histamine-receptor antagonism produced no consistent effect on leg glucose uptake following exercise, due to high interindividual variability. In conclusion, while oral ingestion of H(1)- and H(2)-receptor antagonists alters postexercise recovery by attenuating vasodilatation, leg glucose uptake is not universally affected in recreationally active individuals.

Locomotor Muscle Microvascular Dysfunction in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction.

[Figure: see text].

Limb movement-induced hyperemia has a central hemodynamic component: evidence from a neural blockade study.

The purpose of this investigation was to partially remove feedback from type III/IV skeletal muscle afferents and determine how this feedback influences the central and peripheral hemodynamic responses to passive leg movement. Heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), mean arterial pressure, leg vascular conductance (LVC), and leg blood flow (LBF) were measured during 2 min of passive knee extension in eight young men before and after intrathecal fentanyl injection. Passive movement increased HR by 14 beats/min from baseline to maximal response during control (CON) (65 ± 4 to 79 ± 5 beats/min, P < 0.05), whereas HR did not significantly increase with the fentanyl block (BLK). LBF and LVC increased in both conditions; however, these increases were attenuated and delayed during BLK [%change from baseline to maximum, LBF: CON 295 ± 109 vs. BLK 210 ± 86%, (P < 0.05); LVC: CON 322 ± 40% vs. BLK 231 ± 32%, (P < 0.04)]. In CON, HR, SV, CO, and LVC increased contributing to the hyperemic response. However, under BLK conditions, statistically insignificant increases in HR and SV combined to yield a small, but significant, increase in CO and an attenuated hyperemic response. Therefore, partially blocking skeletal muscle afferent feedback blunts the central hemodynamic response due to passive limb movement, which then results in an attenuated and delayed movement-induced hyperemia. In combination, these findings provide evidence that limb movement-induced hyperemia has a significant central hemodynamic component induced by peripheral nerve activation.

The Significance of "Contractile Reserve" in the Echocardiographic Assessment of Athletic Heart Syndrome.

The clinical distinction between athlete's heart and structural heart disease in the echocardiography laboratory is often challenging. We present a case where athletic heart syndrome was promptly differentiated from pathology with a simple maneuver during echocardiography.

Impaired skeletal muscle vasodilation during exercise in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

BACKGROUND: Exercise intolerance is a hallmark symptom of heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), which may be related to an impaired ability to appropriately increase blood flow to the exercising muscle. METHODS: We evaluated leg blood flow (LBF, ultrasound Doppler), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), cardiac output (CO), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP, photoplethysmography) during dynamic, single leg knee-extensor (KE) exercise in HFpEF patients (n=21; 68 ± 2 yrs) and healthy controls (n=20; 71 ± 2 yrs). RESULTS: HFpEF patients exhibited a marked attrition during KE exercise, with only 60% able to complete the exercise protocol. In participants who completed all exercise intensities (0-5-10-15 W; HFpEF, n=13; Controls, n=16), LBF was not different at 0 W and 5 W, but was 15-25% lower in HFpEF compared to controls at 10 W and 15 W (P<0.001). Likewise, leg vascular conductance (LVC), an index of vasodilation, was not different at 0 W and 5 W, but was 15-20% lower in HFpEF compared to controls at 10 W and 15 W (P<0.05). In contrast to these peripheral deficits, exercise-induced changes in central variables (HR, SV, CO), as well as MAP, were similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: These data reveal a marked reduction in LBF and LVC in HFpEF patients during exercise that cannot be attributed to a disease-related alteration in central hemodynamics, suggesting that impaired vasodilation in the exercising skeletal muscle vasculature may play a key role in the exercise intolerance associated with this patient population.

Evidence of microvascular dysfunction in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

OBJECTIVE: While vascular dysfunction is well defined in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), disease-related alterations in the peripheral vasculature of patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are not well characterised. Thus, we sought to test the hypothesis that patients with HFpEF would demonstrate reduced vascular function, at the conduit artery and microvascular levels, compared with controls. METHODS: We examined conduit artery function via brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and microvascular function via reactive hyperaemia (RH) following 5 min of ischaemia in 24 patients with Class II-IV HFpEF and 24 healthy controls matched for age, sex and brachial artery diameter. RESULTS: FMD was reduced in patients with HFpEF compared with controls (HFpEF: 3.1±0.7%; CONTROLS: 5.1±0.5%, p=0.03). However, shear rate at time of peak brachial artery dilation was lower in patients with HFpEF compared with controls (HFpEF: 42 070±4018/s; CONTROLS: 69 018±9509/s, p=0.01), and when brachial artery FMD was normalised for the shear stimulus, cumulative area-under-the-curve (AUC) at peak dilation, the between-group differences were eliminated (HFpEF: 0.11±0.03%/AUC; CONTROLS: 0.09±0.01%/AUC, p=0.58). RH, assessed as AUC, was lower in patients with HFpEF (HFpEF: 454±35 mL; CONTROLS: 660±63 mL, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data suggest that maladaptations at the microvascular level contribute to the pathophysiology of HFpEF, while conduit artery vascular function is not diminished beyond that which occurs with healthy aging.

Nitric oxide-mediated vascular function in sepsis using passive leg movement as a novel assessment: a cross-sectional study.

Post-cuff occlusion flow-mediated dilation (FMD) is a proposed indicator of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and vascular function. FMD is reduced in patients with sepsis and may be a marker of end organ damage and mortality. However, FMD likely does not solely reflect NO-mediated vasodilation, is technically challenging, and often demonstrates poor reproducibility. In contrast, passive leg movement (PLM), a novel methodology to assess vascular function, yields a hyperemic response that is predominately NO-dependent, reproducible, and easily measured. This study evaluated PLM as an approach to assess NO-mediated vascular function in patients with sepsis. We hypothesized that PLM-induced hyperemia, quantified by the increase in leg blood flow (LBF), would be attenuated in sepsis. In a cross-sectional study, 17 subjects in severe sepsis or septic shock were compared with 16 matched healthy controls. Doppler ultrasound was used to assess brachial artery FMD and the hyperemic response to PLM in the femoral artery. FMD was attenuated in septic compared with control subjects (1.1 ± 1.7% vs. 6.8 ± 1.3%; values are means ± SD). In terms of PLM, baseline LBF (196 ± 33 ml/min vs. 328 ± 20 ml/min), peak change in LBF from baseline (133 ± 28 ml/min vs. 483 ± 86 ml/min), and the LBF area under the curve (16 ± 8.3 vs. 143 ± 33) were all significantly attenuated in septic subjects. Vascular function, as assessed by both FMD and PLM, is attenuated in septic subjects compared with controls. These data support the concept that NO bioavailability is attenuated in septic subjects, and PLM appears to be a novel and feasible approach to assess NO-mediated vascular function in sepsis.

Endogenous endothelin-1 and femoral artery shear rate: impact of age and implications for atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND: Both altered shear rate and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are associated with the age-related development of atherosclerosis. However, the role of ET-1, a potent endogenous vasoconstrictor, in altering shear rate in humans, especially in the atherosclerotic-prone vasculature of the leg, is unknown. Therefore, this study examined the contribution of ET-1 to the age-related alterations in common femoral artery (CFA) shear rate. METHOD: BQ-123, a specific endothelin type A (ET(A)) receptor antagonist, was infused into the CFA, and diameter and blood velocity were measured by Doppler ultrasound in young (n = 8, 24 ±â€Š2 years) and old (n = 9, 70 ±â€Š2 years) study participants. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The old had greater intima-media thickening in the CFA, indicative of a preatherogenic phenotype. Prior to infusion, the old study participants exhibited reduced mean shear rate (27 ±â€Š3/s) compared with the young study participants (62 ±â€Š9/s). This difference was likely driven by attenuated antegrade shear rate in the old as retrograde shear rate was similar in the young and old. Inhibition of ETA receptors, by BQ-123, increased leg blood flow in the old, but not in the young, abolishing age-related differences. Older study participants had a larger CFA (young: 0.82 ±â€Š0.03 cm, old: 0.99 ±â€Š0.03 cm) in which BQ-123 induced significant vasodilation (5.1 ±â€Š1.0%), but had no such effect in the young (-0.8 ±â€Š0.8%). Interestingly, despite the age-specific, BQ-123-induced increase in leg blood flow and CFA diameter, shear rate patterns remained largely unchanged. Therefore, ET-1, acting through the ETA receptors, exerts a powerful age-specific vasoconstriction. However, removal of this vasoconstrictor stimulus does not augment mean shear rate in the old.