Decreased exercise capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is incompletely explained by pulmonary pathologic and physiologic abnormalities. We evaluated the extent to which right ventricular diastolic function (RVDF) is associated with exercise capacity in COPD.
Fifty-one patients with COPD were evaluated by echocardiography, spirometry, and the 6 minute walk test (6MWT). RVDF was assessed using 4 echocardiographic parameters: 1) the ratio of tricuspid valve (TV) early (E) and late (A) inflow velocities (TV E/A) 2) TV early tissue Doppler velocity (TV e’) 3) TV deceleration time (DT) and 4) the ratio of TV E and e’ velocities (TV E/e’). Multiple linear regression was used to examine the extent to which these parameters were associated with 6MWT distance. All models adjusted for age, sex, post-bronchodilator FEV 1/FVC, resting heart rate, and use of supplemental O 2 during 6MWT. A regression model was calculated for each of the 4 markers of RVDF.
Forty-seven percent of the sample had GOLD stage III or IV COPD. All 51 subjects had preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, mean = 71.7%, SD = 7.8%). A higher TV E/A ratio was associated with increased 6MWT distance (p = 0.001). TV e’, TV DT and TV E/e’ did not have a statistically significant association with 6MWT distance in regression models.
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