Factors with modifying influence on normal right and left ventricular function at rest and during submaximal exercise in healthy volunteers

With the aims to create a reference population for radionuclide left (ECG-gated) and right (first-pass) ventriculography and to identify independent determinants of normal left and right ventricular (LV; RV) function indices, 50 healthy volunteers aged 21–69 years underwent gamma camera recordings after 30 min of rest (‘R’) and during submaximal semi-supine bicycle exercise (‘E’). From ‘R’ to ‘E’ LV ejection fraction (EF) rose from 0.68 ± 0.04 to 0.78 ± 0.04 (p < 0.0001; Δ LVEF ≥ 0.05 in all). General descriptive data and measures of exercise capacity and of preload and afterload were entered as independent co-variates in a multiple linear regression model. LV peak filling rate (PFR) ‘R’, LV fast filling fraction (FFF) ‘R’, and Δ RVEF decreased significantly with age while time-to-PFR (T-PFR) ‘R’, systole-to-heart cycle duration ratio (SC-ratio) ‘R’, and mean pulmonary transit time (PTT) ‘R’ + ‘E’ increased. Women had shorter time-to-peak ejection rate (T-PER) ‘R’ and higher SC-ratio ‘R’ than men, while obesity was related to higher Δ RVEF and regular weekly exercise to higher FFF ‘E’. Tobacco smoking was of no influence. T-PFR ‘R’ + ‘E’ and SC-ratio ‘E’ decreased with maximal aerobic power while LVEF ‘E’, peak ejection rate ‘E’, and Δ RVEF increased. FFF ‘R’ and RVEF ‘R’ + ‘E’ increased with normalized peak work load, while Δ LVEF increased with watt-exercise time product. Measures of preload and afterload had modulating influences on the LV and RV function indices (‘R’ + ‘E’).