Coexistence and exercise exacerbation of intraleft ventricular contractile dyssynchrony in hypertensive patients with diastolic heart failure

Background Patients with heart failure (HF) and a normal left ventricular ejection fraction usually present with diastolic dysfunction (DD). Whether intraleft ventricular contractile dyssynchrony (IVCD) coexists with DD and contributes to the clinical manifestations of HF remains unclear. The study investigated the IVCD at rest and after exercise in hypertensive patients with diastolic HF (DHF). Methods Echocardiography was performed in 60 hypertensive patients with narrow QRS, left ventricular ejection fraction ≥50%, and no active ischemia. Patients were grouped as having DD (mitral E/A 200 milliseconds, or mitral annular early diastolic velocity