Guidance on the management of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) supported patients for the non-LVAD specialist healthcare provider: executive summary

The accepted use of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technology as a good alternative for the treatment of patients with advanced heart failure together with the improved survival of patients on the device and the scarcity of donor hearts has significantly increased the population of LVAD supported patients. Device-related, and patient-device interaction complications impose a significant burden on the medical system exceeding the capacity of LVAD implanting centres. The probability of an LVAD supported patient presenting with medical emergency to a local ambulance team, emergency department medical team and internal or surgical wards in a non-LVAD implanting centre is increasing. The purpose of this paper is to supply the immediate tools needed by the non-LVAD specialized physician - ambulance clinicians, emergency ward physicians, general cardiologists, and internists - to comply with the medical needs of this fast-growing population of LVAD supported patients. The different issues discussed will follow the patient's pathway from the ambulance to the emergency department, and from the emergency department to the internal or surgical wards and eventually back to the general practitioner.Cardiolog

Cardiovascular and ventilatory responses to exercise in chronic heart failure

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Cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with heart failure with specific comorbidities

Exercise capacity is one of the most powerful predicting factors of life expectancy, both in patients with and those without cardiac disease. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing provides a global assessment of the integrative exercise responses involving the pulmonary, cardiovascular, hematopoietic, neuropsychological, and skeletal muscle systems, which are not adequately reflected through the measurement of individual organ system function. This relatively noninvasive, dynamic, physiologic overview allows the evaluation of both submaximal and peak exercise responses, providing the physician with relevant information for clinical decision-making. Chronic heart failure is a significant cause of worldwide mortality and morbidity, whose clinical picture is characterized by exercise intolerance and impaired quality of life. The purpose of this review is to provide an update of the role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with heart failure with specific comorbidities. Patients with heart failure frequently present concomitant clinical conditions, such as obesity, anemia, lung or kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, depression, and psychogenic disorders, which could affect length and quality of life, including everyday activities and exercise performance. Poor effort and malingering may be suspected when early discontinuation of the exercise test with irregular breathing occurs

Editorial: Cardiovascular Adjustments and Adaptations to Exercise: From the Athlete to the Patient.

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Exercise testing in the clinical management of patients affected by pulmonary arterial hypertension

Patients affected by pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) show a reduced exercise tolerance with early occurrence of dyspnoea and fatigue. The origin of functional capacity limitation is multifactorial and several mechanisms have been proposed, including right heart failure, which leads to a limited increase in cardiac output during exercise, and hyperventilation with a reduced perfusion of properly ventilated alveoli. In addition, abnormalities in arterial blood gases are observed, with the occurrence of hypoxemia and hypocapnia, related to an abnormal ventilation/perfusion match, gas diffusion abnormalities, low mixed venous oxygen saturation and to the development of intra- and extra-pulmonary right-to-left shunts. At present, the 6-minute walking test is the most used method to assess exercise tolerance in PAH; it is also useful to monitor the response to therapy and provides prognostic information. However, the assessment of functional capacity by cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) seems to be more complete, because CPET allows for discrimination between the metabolic, cardiovascular and pulmonary components of exercise limitation. Moreover, CPET estimates the severity of disease and assesses patients' prognosis and response to therapy. In PAH, a typical CPET-response is observed, characterized by a severe reduction in peak VO(2), work rate, O(2) pulse and anaerobic threshold and by a marked increase in VE/VCO(2) slope and in the dead space to tidal volume ratio. However, the use of CPET should be limited to experienced centres. This review will focus on resting lung function and exercise tolerance tests, showing that CPET can provide the physiological explanation of functional limitation in PAH

Statement on cardiopulmonary exercise testing in chronic heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction: recommendations for performance and interpretation. Part I: definition of cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters for appropriate use in chronic heart failure

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) provides a global assessment of the integrated response to exercise involving the pulmonary, cardiovascular, haematopoietic, neuropsychological, and skeletal muscle systems. This information cannot be obtained through investigation of the individual organ systems in isolation. The non-invasive, dynamic physiological overview permits the evaluation of both submaximal and peak exercise responses, providing the physician with relevant information for clinical decision making. The use of CPET in management of the chronic heart failure patient is increasing with the understanding that resting pulmonary and cardiac function testing cannot reliably predict exercise performance and functional capacity and that, furthermore, overall health status and prognosis are predicted better by indices of exercise tolerance than by resting measurements. Our aim is to produce a statement which provides recommendations on the interpretation and clinical application of CPET in heart failure, based on contemporary scientific knowledge and technical advances: the focus is on clinical indications, issues of standardization, and interpretative strategies for CPET