Severe pulmonary regurgitation does not influence exercise capacity in patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Identifying exercise determinants in patients with repaired Tetralogy of Fallot (rTOF) is complex. We sought to investigate exercise performance and to identify the best exercise predictors. Methods We prospectively recruited 100 patients with rTOF, 60 patients with severe PR (SPR), and 40 patients with no PR (control). All patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing with echocardiography. Right ventricle (RV) contractile reserve (CR) was defined by the change in peak systolic velocity (ΔRVS’), and change in fractional area change (ΔFAC). Left ventricle (LV) CR was defined by the change in systolic function (ΔLVS’), and change in global longitudinal strain (ΔLVGLS). Results There was no significant difference in the reduced exercise performance between the SPR and control groups by peak absolute oxygen consumption VO2(1695±627 vs 1744±521, ml/min, p>0.05). During exercise, lower RV CR was observed in the SPR group by ΔRVS’ (41±28 vs 48±20%, p