Right ventricular ejection fraction response to exercise in patients with coronary artery disease: influence of both right coronary artery disease and exercise-induced changes in right ventricular afterload

Kenneth A. Brown, Robert D. Okada, Charles A. Boucher, H. William Strauss, Gerald M. Pohost

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

To determine the influence of proximal right coronary artery disease and right ventricular afterload on right ventricular ejection fraction response to exercise, 64 patients were studied at rest and after supine exercise with gated equilibrium radionuclide angiography and coronary angiography. Right ventricular afterload response to exercise was estimated from determinations of exercise-induced changes in pulmonary blood volume, previously shown to correlate with exercise-induced changes in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. Values for right ventricular ejection fraction decreased from rest to exercise (48 ± 5% to 42 ± 9%, p < 0.001) in patients with an elevated pulmonary blood volume ratio, but increased from 48 ± 5% to 54 ± 6% (p < 0.001) in patients with a normal pulmonary blood volume ratio. Values were unchanged in patients with isolated proximal right coronary artery disease (rest 49 ± 3%, exercise 47 ± 7%), decreased in patients with combined right and left coronary disease (rest 48 ± 6%, exercise 39 ± 10%, p < 0.001) and increased (rest 47 ± 5%, exercise 52 ± 6%, p < 0.001) in patients with isolated left coronary artery disease. To determine the coinfluence of coronary anatomy and changes in pulmonary blood volume, patients were classified by pulmonary blood volume ratio. Among patients with a normal pulmonary blood volume ratio, right ventricular ejection fraction did not change significantly in those with proximal right coronary artery disease during exercise, but increased significantly in patients with isolated left coronary disease. Among patients with an elevated pulmonary blood volume ratio, right ventricular ejection fraction during exercise increased significantly in those with proximal right coronary artery disease but was unchanged in patients with isolated left coronary disease. Thus, the right ventricular ejection fraction response to exercise appears to be influenced by both patency of the right ventricular coronary blood supply and by exercise-induced changes in pulmonary blood volume, which reflect increases in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and thus right ventricular afterload. The effects of these two factors on right ventricular ejection fraction appear to be additive.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)895-901
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of the American College of Cardiology
Volume3
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1984
Externally publishedYes

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