Key result
Bendopnea in systolic heart failure is linked to ~66% lower odds of IVC respiratory collapse.
Why the study?
The correlation between bendopnea and other cardiac symptoms, echocardiographic findings, and cardiac function parameters in systolic heart failure was not well established.
Is bendopnea associated with worse clinical symptoms, echocardiographic parameters, and long-term outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure?
Cross-Sectional (n=80)
No
Is bendopnea associated with worse clinical symptoms, echocardiographic parameters, and long-term outcomes in patients with systolic heart failure?
Odds Ratio: 0.339 (95% CI 0.13–0.85)
p-value: p=0.019
Bendopnea in systolic heart failure is a clinical marker of worse functional capacity, higher NYHA class, and elevated right-sided filling pressures (lower IVC collapse), though it may not predict 2-year mortality or rehospitalization.
Bendopnea was associated with worse HF symptoms and lower functional capacity; leaves open its value as a bedside marker pending larger prospective validation.
Background and Aims Bendopnea is a symptom found in patients with heart failure (HF) defined as shortness of breath when bending forward. The present study examined the correlation between bendopnea with other cardiac symptoms, echocardiographic findings, and cardiac function parameters. Methods This was a single‐center prospective cross‐sectional study of patients diagnosed with systolic HF. Medical history, bending tests, laboratory tests, electrocardiography (ECG), echocardiography, and 6‐min walking test (6‐MWT) were evaluated. Patients with reduced ejection fraction were followed to assess the 2‐year outcomes for cardiovascular death and rehospitalization. Results A total of 80 patients were included in this study, of whom 54 (67.5%) were male. Bendopnea was present in 34 (42.5%) and their mean age was 62.44 years (compared to group without bendopnea, p = 0.869). Symptoms of HF such as dyspnea of exertion (DOE) and orthopnea were significantly related to the presence of bendopnea ( p = 0.001, odds ratio (OR): 6.87, and p = 0.016, OR: 3.18, respectively). The bendopnea‐positive group had a higher New York Heart Association (NYHA) class ( p = 0.005). ECG results showed no significant difference between the two groups. The echocardiographic findings showed that the inferior vena cava (IVC) respiratory collapse was significantly lower in the bendopnea‐positive group ( p = 0.019, OR: 0.339, 95% CI:0.13–0.85). Moreover, they had a substantially lower performance in 6‐MWT (387.39 vs. 325.58 m, p = 0.015). Neither rehospitalization nor death was related to bendopnea after a 2‐year follow‐up ( p = 0.454). Conclusion Bendopnea was associated with several signs and symptoms of HF, including orthopnea, DOE, NYHA class, lower IVC collapse, and impaired functional capacity measured via 6‐MWT. However, there was no association between bendopnea and ECG findings, ejection fraction, and NT‐proBNP levels. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to assess the associations with long‐term outcomes and confirm our findings.
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Javanmardi et al. (2025) conducted a cross-sectional in Systolic heart failure (n=80). Bendopnea vs. Without bendopnea was evaluated on Inferior vena cava (IVC) respiratory collapse (OR 0.339, 95% CI 0.13-0.85, p=0.019). In patients with systolic heart failure, bendopnea was associated with lower inferior vena cava respiratory collapse (OR 0.339; 95% CI 0.13-0.85; p=0.019) and impaired functional capacity.
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