Improved Ventilatory Efficiency with Locomotor Muscle Afferent Inhibition is Strongly Associated with Leg Composition...

Skeletal muscle atrophy contributes to increased afferent feedback (group III and IV) and may influence ventilatory control (high VE/VCO2 slope) in heart failure (HF).

This study examined the influence of muscle mass on the change in VE/VCO2 with afferent neural block during exercise in HF.

17 participants [9 HF (60±6 yrs) and 8 controls (CTL) (63±7 yrs, mean±SD)] completed 3 sessions. Session 1: dual energy x-ray absorptiometry and graded cycle exercise to volitional fatigue. Sessions 2 and 3: 5 min of constant-work cycle exercise (65% of peak power) randomized to lumbar intrathecal injection of fentanyl (afferent blockade) or placebo. Ventilation (VE) and gas exchange (oxygen consumption, VO2; carbon dioxide production, VCO2) were measured.

Peak work and VO2 were lower in HF (p<0.05). Leg fat was greater in HF (34.4±3.0 and 26.3±1.8%) and leg muscle mass was lower in HF (63.0±2.8 and 70.4±1.8%, respectively, p<0.05). VE/VCO2 slope was reduced in HF during afferent blockade compared with CTL (-18.8±2.7 and -1.4±2.0%, respectively, p=0.02) and was positively associated with leg muscle mass (r2=0.58, p<0.01) and negatively associated with leg fat mass (r2=0.73, p<0.01) in HF only.

HF patients with the highest fat mass and the least leg muscle mass had the greatest improvement in VE/VCO2 with afferent blockade with leg fat mass being the only predictor for the improvement in VE/VCO2 slope. Both leg muscle mass and fat mass are important contributors to ventilatory abnormalities and strongly associated to improvements in VE/VCO2 slope with locomotor afferent inhibition in HF.