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Scientific letters
Increased interbreath variability of gas exchange during exercise in children with cardiomyopathy
  1. Tony Reybrouck1,
  2. Steven Vangesselen2,
  3. Luc Mertens3,
  4. Marc Gewillig3
  1. 1Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
  2. 2Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Leuven (K U Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
  3. 3Department of Paediatric Cardiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium
  1. Correspondence to:
    Professor T Reybrouck
    Department of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Herestraat, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; tony.reybrouck{at}uz.kuleuven.ac.be

https://doi.org/10.1136/hrt.2006.094508

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    During exercise testing in patients with chronic heart failure and severely depressed left ventricular function, an increased variability of gas exchange with a phenomenon of periodic breathing with an oscillatory pattern in oxygen uptake (VO2) has been recognised.1 Previous studies were performed in adult patients with chronic heart failure related to ischaemic heart disease. The aim of the present study was to analyse whether an increased interbreath variability for gas exchange with an oscillatory pattern could also be identified during exercise in children with cardiomyopathy. Moreover, we also analysed whether this new parameter correlates with cardiac function.

    PATIENTS AND METHODS

    In all, 49 patients were used for this analysis. Twenty patients were studied with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMP; mean (SD) age 11.7 (3.7) years). At a regular outpatient visit the patients were clinically investigated, and underwent an echocardiographic and electrocardiographic examination. Myocardial function was assessed by determination of the fractional shortening on the echocardiogram. The patients were compared with 29 age-matched normal controls (Nl) (10.7 (2.8) years).

    Maximal exercise test was …

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    Footnotes

    • Competing interests: None declared.