OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between ventilator efficiency of cardiopulmonary exercising test (the slope of the relation between ventilation and carbon dioxide production, VE/VCO(2)slope) and systolic pulmonary artery pressure (sPAP) measured by echocardiography in patients with chronic heart failure (HF).

METHODSData from 86 HF patients who were treated in Fuwai Hospital between December 2012 and July 2014 and performed the symptom limited maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) and echocardiography were retrospectively analyzed.H F patients were divided into 3 groups (mild, moderate and severe) according to the maximum oxygenconsumption (peakVO(2)).

RESULTSThere is a significant linear correlation between VE/VCO(2)slope and sPAP (r=0.260, P=0.016). Using VE/VCO(2)slope>34.2 as a cutoff value to predict patients with sPAP>50 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) yielded a sensitivity of 70.0% and a specificity of 64.3%. The degree of the linear correlation between VE/VCO(2)slope and sPAP is stronger in mild HF patients (peakVO(2)>14 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1), r=0.686, P<0.001). Using VE/VCO(2) slope>34.2 as a cutoff value to predict sPAP>50 mmHg in mild HF patients, the sensitivity is 71.4% and the specificity is 93.8%.

CONCLUSIONThere is a significant linear correlation between VE/VCO(2)slope and sPAP in HF patients. VE/VCO(2)slope>34.2 is linked with a high possibility of sPAP>50 mmHg in HF patients, especially for patients with mild HF. Invasive hemodynamic examination and impact of special therapy are warranted in future studies to veryfy present results.