In chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, the ventilation (Ve) needed to eliminate metabolically produced CO(2) during exercise (i.e. the Ve/Vco(2) slope) is a strong prognosticator. Ve/Vco(2) slope determinants are the dead space-tidal volume (Vd/Vt) ratio and the arterial CO(2) partial pressure (Paco(2)). We aimed at defining the respective prognostic role of these two variables.
Exercise ventilation inefficiency and cardiovascular mortality in heart failure: the critical independent prognostic value of the arterial CO2 partial pressure.
Cardiopulmonary Laboratory, Cardiology Division, University of Milano, San Paolo Hospital, Via A. di Rudinì, 8, 20142, Milano, Italy. marco.guazzi@unimi.it