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. 2025 Mar 5;24:106. doi: 10.1186/s12933-025-02656-1

Table 3.

Cardiopulmonary exercise test

Variable HF Stages AB
(n = 30)
HFpEF
(n = 50)
HFrEF
(n = 40)
p-value
HR, beats/min @rest 75 (70–80) 75 (65–85) 82 (65–90) 0.241
HR, beats/min @peak 140 (121–150) 110 (105–135)* 105 (95–135)* 0.004
Chronotropic incompetence# 8 (27) 27 (54) 24 (60) 0.015
SBP, mmHg @rest 130 (120–149) 130 (118–141) 118 (100–135) 0.054
DBP, mmHg @rest 80 (75–90) 70 (65–85) 70 (67–80) 0.052
SBP, mmHg @peak 195 (176–205) 165 (146–185)* 150 (140–167)* < 0.0001
DBP, mmHg @peak 85 (80–103) 75 (70–90) 78 (65–90) 0.066
Workload, W 125 (100–150) 65 (46–89)* 70 (60–110)* < 0.0001
Time of effort, min 10 (9–11) 9 (8–10) 9 (8–10) 0.071
RER @peak 1.1 (1.1–1.2) 1.1 (1.1–1.2) 1.1 (1.0–1.2) 0.298
VO2, mL/kg/min @peak 21.2 (17.5–22.5) 12.7 (9.5–14.5)* 13.8 (10.2–15.5)* < 0.0001
VE/VCO2 slope 28 (26–32) 38 (33–42)* 40 (34–44)* < 0.0001
VD/VT (%) 20 (16–23) 23 (20–26)* 24 (22–27)* 0.001
O2 pulse, mL/beat @peak 11.2 (8.6–12.8) 8.1 (6.3–10.6)* 8.3 (7.2–10.1) 0.002
VO2/work slope, mL/min/W 10 (9–10.5) 7.4 (6–8.6)* 7.5 (6.2–9.3)* < 0.0001
VO2/work flattening 0 6 (12) 5 (13) 0.132
EOV 0 1 (2) 1 (3) 0.701

Values are n (%), or median (25th quartile, 75th quartile)

DBP: diastolic blood pressure; EOV: exercise oscillatory ventilation; HFpEF: heart failure with preserved ejection fraction; HFrEF: heart failure with reduced ejection fraction; HR: heart rate; MBP: mean blood pressure; RER: respiratory exchange ratio; SBP: systolic blood pressure; VCO2: carbon dioxide production; VD: Physiologic dead space; VE: minute ventilation; VO2: oxygen consumption; VT: Tidal volume

*p < 0.01 vs. Controls; ‡ p < 0.01 vs. HFpEF

#Failure to achieve ≥ 80% of the difference between age-predicted maximal HR and resting HR (HR reserve) during exercise