Arterial Stiffness Index and Exercise Tolerance in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Rehabilitation

Arterial stiffness contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, relationship between arterial and exercise tolerance in CVD patients with preserved ejection fraction (pEF) those reduced EF (rEF) is unclear. We enrolled 358 who participated cardiac rehabilitation underwent cardiopulmonary testing at Juntendo University Hospital. After excluding 195 had undergone open heart surgery 20 mid-range EF, were divided into pEF (n = 99) rEF 44) groups. was assessed using velocity pulse index (AVI) pressure volume (API) rest. The group significantly older a higher prevalence coronary artery than group. lower AVI levels API In group, peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2) anaerobic threshold VO2 negatively correlated (All, P < 0.05), but not Multivariate linear regression analyses demonstrated that independently associated (β −0.34, 0.05) conclusion, may be useful factor for assessing tolerance, particularly pEF.