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Aims: Obesity and epicardial adiposity play a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), and both are associated with increased filling pressures and reduced exercise capacity. The haemodynamic basis for these observations remains inaccurately defined. We hypothesize that an abundance of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) within the pericardial sac is associated with haemodynamic signs of pericardial constraint., Methods and Results: HFpEF patients who underwent invasive heart catheterization with simultaneous echocardiography were included. Right atrial pressure (RAP), right ventricular end-diastolic pressure, and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) were invasively measured. The presence of a square root sign on the right ventricular pressure waveform and the RAP/PCWP ratio (surrogate parameters for pericardial constraint) were investigated. EAT thickness alongside the right ventricle was measured on echocardiography. Sixty-four patients were studied, with a mean age of 73 ± 10 years, 64% women, and a mean body mass index (BMI) of 28.6 ± 5.4 kg/m 2 . In total, 47 patients (73%) had a square root sign. The presence of a square root sign was associated with higher BMI (29.3 vs. 26.7 kg/m 2 , P = 0.02), higher EAT (4.0 vs. 3.4 mm, P = 0.03), and higher RAP (9 vs. 6 mmHg, P = 0.04). Women had more EAT than men (4.1 vs. 3.5 mm, P = 0.04), despite a comparable BMI. Women with a square root sign had significantly higher EAT (4.3 vs. 3.3 mm, P = 0.02), a higher mean RAP (9 vs. 5 mmHg, P = 0.02), and a higher RAP/PCWP ratio (0.52 vs. 0.26, P = 0.002). In men, such associations were not seen, although there was no significant interaction between men and women (P > 0.05 for all analyses)., Conclusions: Obesity and epicardial adiposity are associated with haemodynamic signs of pericardial constraint in patients with HFpEF. The pathophysiological and therapeutic implications of this finding need further study., (© 2024 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Objectives: This study examined associations between epicardial adipose tissue (EAT), invasive hemodynamics, and exercise capacity in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF)., Background: EAT is increased in patients with HFpEF and may play a role in the pathophysiology of this disorder., Methods: Patients with heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction >45% who underwent right and left heart catheterization with simultaneous echocardiography were included. Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), right ventricular end-diastolic pressure (RVEDP), and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) were invasively measured. Obesity was defined as body mass index (BMI) ≥30 kg/m 2 . EAT thickness alongside the right ventricle was measured on echocardiographic long- and short-axis views. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing was performed to obtain maximal oxygen uptake (VO 2 -max)., Results: This study examined 75 patients, mean age 74 ± 9 years; 68% were women, mean BMI was 29 ± 6 kg/m 2 , and 36% were obese. Higher BMI was strongly associated with increased EAT (r = 0.74; p < 0.001). Increased EAT was associated with higher RVEDP, independent of PVR (odds ratio [OR]: 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02 to 1.34; p = 0.03), but not independent of obesity (p = 0.10). Increased EAT and higher RVEDP were both associated with lower VO 2 -max (r = -0.43; p < 0.001 and r = -0.43; p = 0.001, respectively). Increased EAT remained associated with lower VO 2 -max after adjustment for PVR (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.84; p = 0.002) and obesity (OR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.53 to 0.92; p = 0.01). EAT thickness was not associated with left-sided filling pressures (i.e., PCWP and LVEDP)., Conclusions: In HFpEF, obesity and increased EAT were associated with higher right-sided filling pressures and with reduced exercise capacity., (Copyright © 2020 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Adipose tissue and inflammation may play a role in the pathophysiology of patients with heart failure (HF) with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction. We therefore investigated epicardial fat in patients with HF with preserved (HFpEF) and mid-range ejection fraction (HFmrEF), and related this to co-morbidities, plasma biomarkers and cardiac structure., Methods and Results: A total of 64 HF patients with left ventricular ejection fraction >40% and 20 controls underwent routine cardiac magnetic resonance examination. Epicardial fat volume was quantified on short-axis cine stacks covering the entire epicardium and was related to clinical correlates, biomarkers associated with inflammation and myocardial injury, and cardiac function and contractility on cardiac magnetic resonance. HF patients and controls were of comparable age, sex and body mass index. Total epicardial fat volume was significantly higher in HF patients compared to controls (107 mL/m 2 vs. 77 mL/m 2 , P <0.0001). HF patients with atrial fibrillation and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus had more epicardial fat than HF patients without these co-morbidities (116 vs. 100 mL/m 2 , P =0.03, and 120 vs. 97 mL/m 2 , P =0.001, respectively). Creatine kinase-MB, troponin T and glycated haemoglobin in patients with HF were positively correlated with epicardial fat volume (R =0.37, P =0.006; R =0.35, P =0.01; and R =0.42, P =0.002, respectively)., Conclusion: Heart failure patients had more epicardial fat compared to controls, despite similar body mass index. Epicardial fat volume was associated with the presence of atrial fibrillation and type 2 diabetes mellitus and with biomarkers related to myocardial injury. The clinical implications of these findings are unclear, but warrant further investigation., (© 2018 The Authors. European Journal of Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.)

Background: Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) accumulation is thought to play a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure (HF) with mid-range and preserved ejection fraction, but its effect on outcome is unknown. We evaluated the prognostic value of EAT volume measured with cardiac magnetic resonance in patients with HF with mid-range ejection fraction and HF with preserved ejection fraction. Methods: Patients enrolled in a prospective multicenter study that investigated the value of implantable loop-recorders in HF with mid-range ejection fraction and HF with preserved ejection fraction were analyzed. EAT volume was quantified with cardiac magnetic resonance. Main outcome was the composite of all-cause mortality and first HF hospitalizations. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% CI are described per SD increase in EAT. Results: We studied 105 patients (mean age 72+/-8 years, 50% women, and mean left ventricular ejection fraction 53+/-8%). During median follow-up of 24 (17-25) months, 31 patients (30%) died or were hospitalized for HF. In univariable analysis, EAT was significantly associated with a higher risk of the composite outcome (HR, 1.76 [95% CI, 1.24-2.50], P =0.001), and EAT remained associated with outcome after adjustment for age, sex, and body mass index (HR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.13-2.31], P =0.009), and after adjustment for New York Heart Association functional class and N-terminal of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (HR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.04-2.24], P =0.03). Furthermore, EAT was associated with all-cause mortality alone (HR, 2.06 [95% CI, 1.26-3.37], P =0.004) and HF hospitalizations alone (HR, 1.54 [95% CI, 1.04-2.30], P =0.03). Conclusions: EAT accumulation is associated with adverse prognosis in patients with HF with mid-range ejection fraction and HF with preserved ejection fraction. This finding supports the importance of EAT in these patients with HF. Registration: URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT01989299. * This study found that accumulation of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) is strongly associated with poor prognosis in patients with heart failure with mid-range and preserved ejection fraction. * Patients with obesity with increased EAT had a significantly higher relative event rate compared to patients with obesity with low EAT. * These findings support that measurement of EAT should be considered in patients with heart failure with mid-range ejection fraction and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction as part of clinical work-up. * Future studies should focus on specifically reducing the amount of EAT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]