Effects of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction on exercise capacity three to six weeks after acute myocardial infarction in men

To examine the effects of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction on exercise capacity, hemodynamic and radionuclide responses were measured at rest and during exercise in 50 patients with recent myocardial infarction. The ratio of on increase in pulmonary arterial wedge pressure (PAWP) to an increase in LV end-diastolic volume (EDV) from rest to peak exercise (ΔPAWP/ΔDV) was used as an index of LV diastolic function. ΔPAWP/ΔEDV had modest and negative correlations with peak oxygen consumption (VO 2), cardiac output, and stroke volume in all patients. Among patients with peak VO 2 ≥20 ml/min/kg (group I, n = 24) and those with peak VO 2