Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is a better outcome predictor than exercise echocardiography in asymptomatic aortic stenosis

The International Journal of Cardiology hosts a paper confirming the validity of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing on patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis.

The assessment of maximal aerobic capacity using peak oxygen consumption (peak VO2) can be helpful in the management of patients with asymptomatic aortic stenosis (AS). This study explores therefore the relationship between peak VO2 and AS severity criteria derived from rest and supine exercise echocardiography (SEE).

The study examined 51 patients with moderate to sever aortic stenosis who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

The results of the study show that "cardiopulmonary exercise testing detects a high proportion of false asymptomatic AS patients with poorer outcome that cannot be predicted by SEE markers of AS severity". Assessment of aerobic capacity should be part of current approach within a “watchful waiting” strategy.

The article details are the following:

- Title: "Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is a better outcome predictor than exercise echocardiography in asymptomatic aortic stenosis"
- Authors: Domanski O, Richardson M, Coisne A, Polge AS, Mouton S, Godart F, Edmé JL, Matran R, Lancellotti P, Montaigne D
- Published in: Int J Cardiol. 2017 Jan 15;227:908-914

The study can be purchased at the following link: click here