Low level exercise echocardiography helps diagnose early stage heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a study of echocardiography versus catheterization

Background Increased left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) with exercise is an early sign of heart failure with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The abnormal exercise increase in LVEDP is nonlinear, with most change occurring at low-level exercise. Data on non-invasive approach of this condition are scarce. Our objective was assessing E/e′ to estimate low level exercise LVEDP using a direct invasive measurement as the reference method.