Abstract 15563: Neurovascular Control and Spontaneous Baroreflex Sensitivity in Heart Failure Patients with Preserved Ejection Fraction

Introduction: Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) and forearm blood flow (FBF) are markers of mortality in Systolic Heart Failure (S-HF). Endomyocardial Fibrosis (EMF) is a Heart Failure (HF) with Preserved Ejection Fraction (PEF-HF). Although mortality in PEF-HF can be similar to S-HF, it is still unknown if neurovascular control is impaired in PEF-HF. Hypothesis: Our hypothesis is that even though PEF-HF show normal ejection fraction, they have the same autonomic dysfunction as S-HF. The aim was to evaluate MSNA, FBF and spontaneous baroreflex sensitivity (SBS) in PEF-HF compared to S-HF and healthy subjects (HS). Methods: Nineteen females HF, NYHA class II and III, were divided in two groups: PEF-HF (n=10) and S-HF (n=9), and were compared to HS (n=7). Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction (LVEF), by echocardiography (Simpson); MSNA, by microneurography; FBF, by venous occlusion plethysmography; mean blood pressure (MBP) and heart rate (HR) by Finometer; SBS, by sequence method, were measured. Signif...