Lung Ultrasound Density Score Index Performed With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Echocardiography Testing Is Associated...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Exercise stress echocardiography and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) are vital for assessing dyspnea and exercise intolerance.
• Lung ultrasound (LUS) enhances prognostic value in stress echocardiography.
• The integration of LUS with simultaneous CPET for undifferentiated patients remains unevaluated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if LUS, performed pre- and post-exercise, correlates with reduced exercise capacity (peak oxygen consumption).
• To assess the utility of LUS in patients undergoing stress echocardiography with CPET.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 261 patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction undergoing simultaneous stress echocardiography and CPET.
• Lung ultrasound (LUS) assessed B-line burden in 4 lung zones using the LUS density score index (LUDSI) pre- and post-exercise.
• Feasibility of LUS was 100% in all patients.

Main Results:

• A LUS density score index (LUDSI) ≥0.5 correlated with impaired exercise capacity (peak oxygen consumption <90% predicted) at rest and post-exercise.
• The association between LUDSI ≥0.5 and impaired exercise capacity showed incremental improvement when combined with diastolic function (E/e').
• Area under the curve values ranged from 0.75 to 0.78, indicating good predictive ability.

Conclusions:

• The LUS density score index (LUDSI) is a feasible and simple method to quantify B-line burden.
• A LUDSI ≥0.5 is associated with impaired exercise capacity in patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction undergoing stress echocardiography and CPET.