Does cardiopulmonary exercise testing improve risk stratification and management in patients with aortic stenosis?
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is highlighted as a valuable but underutilized tool for risk stratification and determining the timing of intervention in patients with aortic stenosis.
Aortic stenosis is a progressive and insidious form of valve disease with a high mortality if left untreated. While cardiopulmonary exercise testing is recognised as a safe and effective strategy to aid in the management and timing of valvular intervention, it is often underused due to patient frailty and concomitant comorbidities. This study discusses the pathophysiology of aortic stenosis and current evidence supporting the use of cardiopulmonary exercise testing for the risk stratification and management of aortic stenosis.
Luke et al. (Wed,) studied this question.