Effective arterial elastance and arterial compliance in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction

Heart failure (HF) patients have often been observed to have their ejection fractions somewhat preserved (HFpEF). Since left ventricular (LV) ejection is dependent on the coupled arterial load, the preserved ejection may be dependent on the effective arterial elastance (Ea). Whether this is indeed the case is subject to further analysis. We investigated this aspect in 67 patients with cardiac disease; 34 of them met the matching criteria for HFpEF. Both Ea, an arterial system (ASy) property, and aortic compliance (C), a physical property, were obtained in an attempt to differentiate the LV-ASy interaction in HFpEF and HFrEF (reduced ejection fraction) patients. Outcome of the study allowed us to conclude that Ea does not parallel changes in C. While Ea may be useful in assessing the severity of HFrEF, it is a weak indicator of EF dependence in HFpEF patients.