Superiority of endothelin-1 over norepinephrine in exercise-induced alterations of the conduit artery tone of the non-exercised arm in patients with chronic heart failure

This study is aimed at examining the relative importance of norepinephrine and endothelin-1 in treadmill exercise-induced changes in brachial arterial tone of the non-exercised arm in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Brachial artery diameter and blood flow were measured before and after exercise in eight healthy volunteers and 18 patients with stable chronic heart failure by high-resolution ultrasound. Maximal exercise resulted in brachial artery dilatation in controls (4.42±0.39 vs. 4.77±0.39 mm; P