Response by von Roeder et al to Letter Regarding Article, “Influence of Left Atrial Function on Exercise Capacity and Left Ventricular Function in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction”

Influence of Left Atrial Function on Exercise Capacity and Left Ventricular Function in Patients With Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction.

BACKGROUND Although left atrial (LA) dysfunction is common in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), its functional implications beyond the reflection of left ventricular (LV) pathology are not well understood. The aim of this study was to further characterize LA function in HFpEF patients. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed cardiac magnetic resonance myocardial feature trackin...

Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Effects of Sildenafil on Ventricular and Vascular Function in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction”.

Letter regarding article by Baicu et al, "Left ventricular systolic performance, function, and contractility in patients with diastolic heart failure".

BACKGROUND Patients with diastolic heart failure (DHF) have significant abnormalities in left ventricular (LV) diastolic function, including slow and delayed relaxation and increased chamber stiffness. Whether and to what extent these abnormalities in diastolic function occur in association with abnormalities in LV systolic performance, function, and contractility has not been investigated thor...

Response to letter regarding article, "right ventricular function in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a community-based study".

BACKGROUND The prevalence and clinical significance of right ventricular (RV) systolic dysfunction (RVD) in patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are not well characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS Consecutive, prospectively identified HFpEF (Framingham HF criteria, ejection fraction ≥50%) patients (n=562) from Olmsted County, Minnesota, underwent echocardiography at...

Response to letter regarding article, "Longitudinal changes in ejection fraction in heart failure patients with preserved and reduced ejection fraction".

BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) can occur in patients with preserved (HFpEF, EF≥50%) or reduced (HFrEF, EF<50%) ejection fraction (EF), but changes in EF after HF diagnosis are not well described. METHODS AND RESULTS Among a community cohort of incident HF patients diagnosed from 1984 to 2009 in Olmsted County, Minnesota, we obtained all EFs assessed by echocardiography from initial HF diagnosi...