Exercise Treadmill Testing in Moderate or Severe Aortic Stenosis: The Left Ventricular Correlates of an Exaggerated Blood Pressure Rise

BACKGROUND: Exaggerated blood pressure response during exercise predicts future hypertension and cardiovascular events in general population and different patients groups. However, its clinical and prognostic implications in patients with aortic stenosis have not been previously evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: We retrospectively studied 301 patients with moderate to severe asymptomatic aortic stenosis (aged 65±12 years) who underwent echocardiography and a modified Bruce exercise treadmill test. An exaggerated blood pressure response was defined as peak systolic blood pressure ≥190 mm Hg. An abnormal blood pressure response (either blunted or exaggerated) was found in 58% of patients and abnormal left ventricular geometry in 82%. There was no difference in the rates of abnormal blood pressure responses between patients with moderate and severe aortic stenosis ([exaggerated blood pressure response: 21% versus 22%, P=0.876] and [blunted blood pressure response: 35% versus 40%, P=0.647]). Patients with exaggerated blood pressure response (21%) were more likely to be older, have hypertension, higher pretest systolic blood pressure, left ventricular ejection fraction and mass, and increased arterial stiffness (all P<0.05). In a multivariate logistic regression analysis, an exaggerated blood pressure response was associated with higher pulse pressure/stroke volume index (odds ratio 2.45, 95% confidence interval 1.02–6.00, P=0.037) and left ventricular mass (odds ratio 2.04, 95% confidence interval 1.23–3.38, P=0.012) independent of age, hypertension, aortic annulus and left atrium diameter, and left ventricular ejection fraction. CONCLUSIONS: In those with aortic stenosis, exaggerated blood pressure was strongly related to higher resting blood pressure values, left ventricular mass, and increased arterial stiffness independent of hypertension.