Exercise physiology and the role of the periphery in cardiac failure

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing remains the standard method of functional assessment in chronic heart failure, and both peak oxygen consumption achieved on progressive maximal exercise testing and anaerobic threshold are widely used endpoints in clinical trials. Peak oxygen consumption achieved on progressive maximal exercise testing may be used in clinical practice to estimate prognosis and aid the prioritization of patients for cardiac transplantation. Anaerobic threshold is a valuable index of submaximal exercise performance, but there are many different criteria used to define anaerobic threshold and careful attention to the methodology is essential. The mechanisms of limitation of exercise capacity and the importance of the peripheral abnormalities in chronic heart failure are still not elucidated. The skeletal muscles are reduced in size, weak, and easily fatigued; in addition, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies have shown that high-energy phosphates are depleted and acidosis develops more rapidly during exercise in patients with chronic heart failure than in normal subjects. However, the relationship of these abnormalities to the mechanical performance of the muscles, the differences between treated and untreated heart failure, and the effects of physical training have yet to be clarified.