Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing with Echocardiography to Identify Mechanisms of Unexplained Dyspnea

Little data is available about the pathophysiological mechanisms of unexplained dyspnea and their clinical meaning. Consecutive patients with unexplained dyspnea underwent prospective standardized cardiopulmonary exercise testing with echocardiography (CPETecho). Patients were grouped as having normal exercise capacity (peak VO₂ > 80% with respiratory exchange [RER] > 1.05), reduced exercise capacity (peak VO₂ ≤ 80% with RER > 1.05), or a submaximal exercise test (RER ≤ 1.05). From 307 patients, 144 (47%) had normal and 116 (38%) reduced exercise capacity, and 47 (15%) had a submaximal exercise test. Patients with reduced versus normal exercise capacity had significantly more mechanisms for unexplained dyspnea (2.3±1.0 vs 1.5±1.0, respectively; p<0.001). Exercise PH (42%), low heart rate reserve (51%), low stroke volume reserve (38%), low diastolic reserve (18%), and peripheral muscle limitation (17%) were most common. Patients with more mechanisms for dyspnea displayed poorer peak VO₂ and had an increased risk for cardiovascular hospitalization (p=0.002). Patients with unexplained dyspnea display multiple coexisting mechanisms for exercise intolerance, which relate to the severity of exercise limitation and risk of subsequent cardiovascular hospitalizations.