The relation between physiological markers of cardiovascular health and quality of life in heart failure

This cross-sectional study examined the associations among functional capacity, ejection fraction, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in stable heart failure patients. Twenty-one stable NYHA Class II and III heart failure patients (mean age = 56.9 [+ or -] 11.1 yrs; BMI = 28.9 [+ or -] 4.2 kg x [m.sup.-2]) participated in this study. The subjects underwent cardiopulmonary treadmill testing to determine peak oxygen consumption (V[O.sub.2] peak = 16.9 [+ or -] 5.3 mL x [kg.sup.-1] x [min.sup.-1]) and ventilatory threshold (961.9 [+ or -] 308.4 ml). The Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) was used to assess HRQoL. Ejection fraction was assessed by echocardiogram (EF = 28.9 [+ or -] 8.03%). HRQoL was non-significantly (P>0.05) related to V[O.sub.2] peak (r = 0.221), EF (r = 0.204), and ventilatory threshold (r = 0.108). However, the physical limitation domain of the KCCQ was independently related (P