Abstract 15021: Pulse Wave Transit Time During Exercise Testing Reflects Severity of Heart Failure in Cardiac Patients

Background: The pulse wave transit time (PWTT) can be easily measured as the time from the R wave of electrocardiogram to the arrival of the pulse wave at fingertips using an O2 saturation monitor. We investigated the clinical significance of PWTT during exercise testing in cardiac patients by comparing PWTT with the established indices obtained from echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX). Methods: A total of 226 patients with cardiac disease (59±17 years) performed CPX, during which PWTT was continuously monitored. LVEF, LVDd, and LVDs were measured by echocardiography. The peak VO2 and VE vs VCO2 slope were obtained from CPX. Results: PWTT at rest was 247.1±32.3 msec and was significantly shortened to 179.0±28.4 msec at peak exercise (p<0.001). PWTT at rest showed a negative correlation with LVEF (60.0±14.2 %) (r=-0.29, p<0.001) and positive correlations with LVDd (49.2±9.0 mm) (r=0.28, p<0.001) and LVDs (33.6±10.9 mm) (r=0.37, p<0.001). Similarly, PWTT at peak exercise had negative...