Advancing Cardiac Amyloidosis Care Through Insights from Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Cardiopulmonary Physiology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Cardiac amyloidosis, including transthyretin (ATTR) and light-chain (AL) types, presents complex management challenges due to its progressive nature.
• Accurate assessment of functional capacity and disease progression is critical for effective patient management.
• Current diagnostic and monitoring strategies require enhancement to fully capture the impact of cardiac amyloidosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the pivotal role of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in the assessment and management of cardiac amyloidosis.
• To highlight CPET's utility in evaluating disease progression, treatment efficacy, and guiding personalized therapeutic strategies.
• To emphasize CPET's contribution to advancing personalized medicine in cardiac amyloidosis.

Main Methods:

• This narrative review synthesizes current literature on the application of CPET in cardiac amyloidosis.
• Key parameters measured by CPET, including peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) and ventilatory efficiency, are discussed.
• The review focuses on how CPET data informs clinical decision-making and patient care.

Main Results:

• CPET provides objective, quantifiable measures of cardio-respiratory performance in cardiac amyloidosis patients.
• The test is essential for tracking disease trajectory and assessing the impact of disease-modifying therapies.
• CPET data facilitates the customization of treatment plans based on individual patient functional status.

Conclusions:

• Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is an indispensable tool for comprehensive assessment in cardiac amyloidosis.
• CPET enables personalized medicine approaches by providing objective functional insights.
• Implementing CPET can lead to improved clinical outcomes and enhanced quality of life for patients.